i 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY, 


OR 


UNDER    THE    BAN. 


A  NOVEL, 


BY 


VKKN  IOGO., *• 


"  Your  little  tattlers  and  those  who  listen  to  slander,  by  my 
good  will  should  all  be  hanged:  the  former  by  their  tongues, 
the  latter  by  their  ears." — Plautus. 


COPYRIGHTED,  1888, 
By  the  Author. 


ST.  PAUL: 
GEO.  C.  POUND, 

1888. 


CHAPTER  I. 

In  a  grandeur-vaunted  city, 

Where  the  water  giant  glides 
Like  a  belt  of  burnished  silver 

Through  a  gorge  in  its  rocky  sides, 
Where  the  pictured  hills  and  valleys 

Dotted  are  with  palace  homes, 
The  blue  arch  of  heaven  bending 

Down  to  meet  her  climbing  domes, 
Named  for  a  saint  in  glory, 

Worshipping  a  golden  god, 
Cluster,  'mong  her  oak  trees  hoary, 

Castles  proud  to  gem  her  sod. 
Tapering  towers  throng  her  air-lofts, 

Shimmering  like  swords  of  fire 
Brandished  by  cohorts  of  churches 

Challenging  high  heaven's  ire  ! 
Pity,  O  Christ,  the  mock  worship 

Breathed  in  Thy  consecrate  aisles, 
With  Love  and  Charity  banished, 

And  hatred  dressed  up  in  their  smiles. 

The  earth  lay  like  a  flower  garden,  'neath  her  June 
tent  of  unclouded  blue.  The  sun,  midway  on  its  de- 
scent, threw  slant  bars  of  gold  along  the  deep  river 
banks,  flooding  the  low,  projecting  wharves  with 
sheets  of  splendor. 

Upon  one  of  these  deserted  berths,  seemingly 
afloat,  so  nearly  parallel  was  it  to  the  water's  surface, 
two  little  girls  were  playing.  That  they  had  escaped 
the  vigilant  eye  of  their  attendant,  or  that  they  were 


2136412 


4  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

representatives  of  a  multitude  of  unattended  street 
waifs, — the  nurslings  of  Mother  Earth  and  Father 
Chance, — might  have  explained  their  unprotected 
condition,  but  for  their  bright,  frank  faces  and  their 
fresh,  sweet  wardrobes, — the  unmistakable  insignia  of 
loving  maternal  watch- care. 

A  stranger  might  have  passed  the  younger  of  these 
two  girls  with  only  a  casual  glance.  Not  so  the  elder 
one,  who  already  claimed  the  homage  of  an  earnest, 
oft-repeated  gaze  from  every  passer-by,  not  infre- 
quently accompanied  with  exclamations  of  admiration 
and  surprise,  with  an  enthusiasm,  too,  which  sent  the 
rich,  warm  blood  to  her  cheeks,  though  why  she  could 
not  tell. 

The  two  children,  named  respectively  Pearl  and 
Fra  La  Grange,  whose  ages  ranged  from  five  to  eight, 
were  little  run-a-ways. 

Venturing  nearer  the  water's  edge,  the  children 
hovered  upon  the  verge  of  the  wharf,  charmed  with 
the  grotesque  figures  they  cut  on  the  surface  of  its 
mirror-view  below.  At  length  they  stretched  them- 
selves upon  the  rude  planks,  leaning  dangerously  over 
the  edge  and  swinging  their  sun-hats,  while  they  prat- 
tled to  the  measures  of  the  circles  thus  made. 

The  younger  of  the  two,  whose  arms  were  begin- 
ning to  ache  in  keeping  up  with  the  gyrations  of  her 
sister's  practiced  hand, — indeed  already  dizzy  with  its 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  5 

routine  whirl,  and  puzzled  to  distinguish  the  real 
o'erhead  from  the  reflected  sky  which  lay  world-deep 
below  their  shadow  pictures, — dropping  her  little  tired 
head  heavily,  was,  by  her  chubby  weight,  suddenly 
capsized  headlong  into  the  clear  depths  below. 

Pearl,  who  until  this  moment  was  absorbed  in  the 
swift  revolutions  of  her  mimic  pin-wheel,  hearing  a 
loud  plash,  and  seeming  the  little  form  of  Fra  strug- 
gling in  the  water,  quickly  commanded  herself,  and 
seizing  her  baby  sister  by  the  hair,  dragged  her  out 
with  a  force  which  sent  both  of  them  rolling  over 
together  upon  the  wharf. 

The  strange  incident  was  enacted  so  quickly  that 
neither  of  the  children  realized  the  peril  which  both 
had  miraculously  escaped. 

To  Pearl  the  river  had  proved  itself  the  great  water 
giant  her  mother  had  so  often  warned  her  against, 
and  which,  to  punish  her  for  her  disobedience,  had 
opened  its  jaws  and  tried  to  swallow  little  Fra.  The 
fact  of  having  successfully  snatched  her  back  inspired 
Pearl  to  give  the  giant  a  defiant  glance,  and  seizing 
Fra  by  the  hand  she  bade  her  look  and  see  the  great 
hole  they  had  left;  but  to  her  astonishment  the  river 
ran  on  as  smoothly  and  unbrokenly  as  ever,  and  only 
the  sad  face  of  little  Fra  and  her  sopping  wet  garments 
remained  to  tell  the  tale. 

To  Fra  the  sensation  of  being  rescued  was  quite  as 


6  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

shocking  as  the  unpremeditated  plunge,  and  both  of 
the  children  grew  thoughtful  and  reticent. 

With  Pearl,  whose  soul  already  trembled  and  vi- 
brated, tossed  upon  the  rough  winds  of  adversity, 
there  were  many  grave  questions  to  settle  at  the  bar 
of  her  tender  conscience.  Love  and  fear  were  battling 
in  her  heart, — the  love  of  mother  drawing,  and  the 
fear  of  father  repelling,  her  steps  homeward.  She 
had  left  an  invalid  mother's  presence  joyous,  antici- 
pating a  quick  return  with  a  full  basket  for  her  hand- 
ful of  pence;  but,  intercepted  by  their  father,  who, 
with  oaths  and  threats,  extorted  the  money  which  was 
to  be  exchanged  for  a  birth-day  treat,  the  frightened 
children  left  the  basket  upon  the  market  steps,  and 
ran  till  their  feet  were  descending  the  graded  thor- 
oughfare leading  to  the  boat-houses.  Here,  attracted 
by  sails  and  skiffs,  playing  like  dolphins  upon  the 
river's  surface,  they  had  loitered  hours,  oblivious  to 
everything  but  the  entrancing  scene  before  them. 

The  adventure  recalled  Pearl  to  her  senses,  arid  a 
sharp  pain  shot  through  her  heart  as  she  remembered 
how  very  much  weaker  her  mother  had  seemed  that 
morning,  and  the  eager,  wan  look  in  her  tender  eyes, 
as  she  pleaded  for  their  quick  return. 

In  all  the  world  there  was  nothing  to  Pearl  so 
lovely  as  her  mother's  face.  Her  eyes  had  sought  and 
drank  in  the  beautiful  in  everything,  and  her  imagi- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  7 

nation  was  ever  busy  surrounding  this  being  of  her 
heart's  worship,  with  all  the  gathered  treasures  of  her 
fancy.  Now  conscience  was  lashing  her  into  a  tem- 
pest of  regrets.  She  saw  herself  in  the  light  of  truant 
and  betrayer  of  a  fond  mother's  confidence;  and  not 
the  least  of  her  miseries,  was  the  sight  of  Era's  ruined 
frock,  as  much  her  province  to  protect,  and  second 
(in  consideration  of  their  poverty)  in  importance  to 
the  life  she  had  so  bravely  saved.  For  be  it  under- 
stood, though  a  child  in  years,  Pearl  was  a  remarka- 
bly cogent  reasoner.  Close  association  and  compan- 
ionship with  a  refined  and  intellectual  mother,  would 
have  advanced  a  less  tractable  mind  beyond  the  ordi- 
nary standard;  but  her  ready  genius,  and  marvellous 
intuition,  placed  her  beyond  her  years,  making  her  a 
child  in  no  sense,  save  in  her  freshness  of  heart,  buoy- 
ancy of  spirits,  and  love  for  play,  which  her  superb 
physical  vigor  demanded. 

Fra,  accustomed  to  the  still,  rapt  moods  of  her  sis- 
ter, kept  silence  in  concert,  merely  pulling  apart 
Pearl's  clasped  hands,  and  gently  insinuating  between 
them  her  own  little  palm  to  reassure  her. 

How  long  the  young  dreamer  might  have  continued 
planning  for  the  redemption  of  this  misspent  day  is 
impossible  to  say,  had  not  the  full  rays  of  the  sun 
looked  straight  into  her  face,  and  an  impression  of 


8  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

the  dying  day,  and  the  long  climb  up  the  steep  bluff, 
prompted  her  to  return  home  at  once. 

Springing  to  her  feet,  she  caught  Fra  in  her  bare 
and  beautifully  rounded  arms,  making  as  light  of  her 
burden  in  plump  flesh,  as  though  it  consisted  of  wax 
and  sawdust.  The  bluff  was  precipitous,  but  Era's 
feet  did  not  touch  the  earth  till  the  entire  ascent  was 
made. 

"Now,"  said  Pearl,  "we  must  walk  quickly,  and  you 
must  not  go  into  the  house,  till  I  have  told  mamma 
all  about  your  being  drowned  and  your  spoiled  birth- 
day dress." 

Before  them  in  all  directions  within  the  scope  of 
vision,  stretched  the  architectural  reaches  of  a  mighty 
city — the  proud  namesake  of  a  renowned  apostle. 
High-browed  summits  stood  out  like  emerald  brack- 
ets, supporting  their  marble  palaces;  castles,  embow- 
ered in  ivy,  rose  like  huge  marble  vases  dripping  with 
blossoms  from  beds  of  flowers.  The  river,  in  serpen- 
tine curves,  wound  like  a  crystal  necklace  these  cas- 
tellated heights,  and  Gothic  and  Swiss  cottages  peeped 
from  the  deep  umbrage  of  mottled  green. 

Beside  such  pictured  loveliness,  such  heaped  and 
concentrated  wealth,  and  in  the  same  cherubic  ele- 
ment, God's  air,  huddled  the  lowly  tenements  of  the 
forlorn  and  despised  poor. 

Pearl  halted  and  gazed  upon  the  entrancing  picture 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  9 

before  descending  into  the  depths  of  the  more  popu- 
lous but  less  pretentious  neighborhoods  of  the  city. 
Suddenly  recalling  her  trip  to  the  forbidden  river, 
and  shivering  as  she  remembered  her  father's  aager, 
she  urged  the  nagging  footsteps  of  little  Fra,  and  the 
two  children  pursued  their  way  in  silence. 

Let  us  anticipate  their  arrival  by  entering  the 
home,  yet  hallowed  by  a  mother's  love.  The  build- 
ing, which  hung  over  an  alley,  had  a  tumble-down 
expression.  It  had  two  apartments,  in  the  most  com- 
modious of  which,  upon  her  dying  bed,  lay  the  fond 
mother  of  Pearl  and  Fra.  The  ceiling  was  low,  but 
the  walls  shone  white  and  clean,  and  an  air  of  refine- 
ment pervaded  the  place. 

This  effort  to  hide  the  horrid  skeleton  presiding 
over  the  drunkard's  home  had  sorely  taxed  the  in- 
genious brain  and  deft  fingers  of  the  devoted  mother. 
At  last  her  gentle  heart  was  breaking,  and  the  shadow 
whicji  hung  over  Kobert  LaGrange's  home  on  this 
night  was  the  visible  shade  of  death. 

With  her  expiring  strength  the  mother  had  occu- 
pied the  morning  in  assisting  her  children  to  don 
their  holiday  attire,  entrusting  to  Pearl  money 
and  errands  for  the  embellishment  of  the  day,  accord- 
ing to  their  innocent  desires. 

Since  the  expiration  of  the  hour  allotted  them  her 
eyes  had  wandered  vainly  toward  the  open  casement. 


10  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

The  little  table  which  Pearl  had  drawn  up  to  the  bed- 
side, spread  with  its  grateful  morsels,  had  been  her 
only  nurse  and  companion  through  the  long,  weary 
day. 

At  last  she  heard  footsteps,  but  they  were  slow  and 
uncertain,  and,  recoiling  with  a  sigh  of  disappoint- 
ment, she  saw  the  reeling  figure  of  La  Grange  enter 
the  room.  And  who,  once  familiar  with  the  erect 
form,  elastic  step,  frank  and  handsome  face  of  Robert 
La  Grange,  would  have  recognized  in  the  bloated  fea- 
tures, downcast  eyes  and  shambling  tread  the  wreck 
of  such  youthful  promise!  But  some  of  the  brightest 
morning-stars  of  manhood  that  have  risen  upon  the 
world  have  been  lured  by  the  social  glass  down  to  the 
abysmal  hells  of  the  Rum  Shop.  None  ever  dragged 
with  them  a  purer  life  or  gentler  heart  than  the  one 
now  beating  out  its  last  faithful  pulsations  on  that 
altar  where  is  written  the  mutual  pledge,  "till  death." 

"  Where  is  Pearl?  "  growled  the  wretched  bloat. 

"I  know  not,"  said  the  dying  woman. 

"  Perhaps  she  is  looking  for  the  money  I  took  from 
her  at  the  market  steps,"  confessed  the  chattering 
drunkard.  But  his  words  making  no  visible  impres- 
sion, he  settled  into  an  arm-chair  and  instantly  drop- 
ped off  into  the  dead  stupor  which  locks  the  senses  of 
the  liquor-pickled  inebriate. 

Again  the  life-forces  rallied,  and  the  yearning  eyes 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  11 

were  at  last  rewarded  by  seeing  Pearl  enter.  At  the 
sight  of  her  wretched  father  the  child  shrank,  but 
seeing  that  he  observed  nothing,  she  stealthily  ap- 
proached her  mother's  bedside.  Pearl  had  never 
been  in  the  presence  of  death,  yet  the  awful  pallor, 
the  pinched  expression,  the  glazing  eye — all  told  her 
that  something  terrible  was  impending. 

Maternal  love  and  fear  spoke  through  the  tender 
eyes. 

"Where  is  your  little  sister?"  faintly  whispered 
the  dying  woman. 

''Drownded!"  said  Pearl,  not  perceiving  the  mis- 
chief in  the  word,  and  referring  to  the  wilted  garment. 

"Drowned! "  gasped  the  trembling  lips,  upon  which 
the  breath  of  life  yet  fluttered.  Pearl  hastened  to 
explain  her  cruel  words. 

"No,  mama,  dear;  Fra  is  not  dead.  I  caught  her 
by  her  hair  and  dragged  her  out  alone.  And  she  is 
here,  close  here,  sweet  mama!  Oh,  mama,  speak  to 
Pearl!"  But  the  staring  eyes  retained  their  fixed 
expression. 

Pearl  ran,  and  seizing  the  astonished  little  Fra,  who 
sat  patiently  outside  awaiting  her  forgiveness,  bore 
her  swiftly  into  the  presence  of — what?  Her  mother? 
No!  for  the  cold  angel  had  set  his  seal.  But 
the  children  comprehended  it  not,  and  Pearl,  holding 
Fra  up  before  the  rigid  face,  cried  piteously. 


12  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  Here  is  little  Fra,  mama.  She  only  spoiled  her 
frock.  I  thought  you  would  forgive  all  when  I  told 
you  how  God  helped  me  drag  her  out  O,  rnama! 
Do  not  look  so  strange!  Tell  me  you  forgive! "  And 
Pearl  kissed  the  icy  lips  again  and  again,  and  buried 
her  face  in  the  long,  disheveled  hair  that  lay  in  coils 
upon  the  snowy  pillow. 

Lifting  her  mother's  hand,  she  strove  in  the  old 
way  to  get  within  the  encircling  arms;  but  the  hand 
fell  back  stark  and  pallid, 

"  Father!  "  shrieked  Pearl. 

The  drunkard  lifted  his  head,  opened  his  bloodshot 
eyes,  and  taking  in  the  group  upon  the  bed,  slowly 
comprehended  that  something  had  happened.  He 
essayed  to  rise,  but  fell  back.  At  length,  sobered  by 
an  awful  apprehension,  he  staggered  to  the  bed,  thrust 
the  children  aside,  placed  his  ear  over  the  heart  of  his 
wife,  and  turned  ashy  pale. 

"Annie!  Good  Wife!"  he  cried.  But  the  lips 
which  had  gladly  responded  to  such  words  a  few 
hours  before,  moved  not. 

Pearl  watched  him,  impressed  as  profoundly  by  her 
father's  manifestation  of  feeling  as  by  her  mother's 
apparent  indifference;  and,  venturing  nearer,  she 
tremblingly  asked: 

"What  is  it,  father?  Please,  may  the  doctor  come? 
And  may  I  go  to  bring  him?"  And  Pearl  stood 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  13 

affrighted,  gazing  imploringly  into  her  father's  face. 

"O,  tell  me,  father,  may  I  go?  and  will  dear  mama 
speak  again?  " 

Holding  his  wife's  hand,  La  Grange  again  placed 
his  ear  over  her  heart. 

"Dead  !  "  said  he;  and  the  conscience-smitten  hus- 
band fell  upon  his  knees  beside  the  remains  .of  his 
wife. 

Pearl  caught  the  awful  word  "dead,"  and,  with  a 
shriek  which  might  have  recalled  the  departing  spirit 
and  pierced  the  ear  of  God,  the  child  fell  upon  the 
bosom  of  her  lifeless  mother  and  swooned  away. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

Among  the  heath-clad  hills 

Of  Scotia's  verdant  plains, 
A  letter  comes,  whose  presence  thrills 

Where  deathless  love  remains. 

The  world  has  its  strong  prejudices.  One  of  these 
will  probably  cling  to  it  as  long  as  it  makes  its  revolu- 
tions, and  teems  with  the  life  of  its  thinking  millions. 

To  be  well-born  is  the  prerequisite  to  individual 
stamina  of  character,  and  the  full  confidence  of  the 
world.  To  be  well,  or  meanly  born,  does  not  imply  to 
be  richly  or  poorly  ushered  into  life.  Neither  does  it 
refer  to  the  accidents  of  rank  in  the  kingdoms  of  the 


14  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

universe;  but,  having  a  far  deeper  signification,  it 
may  be  compared  to  the  good  seed  planted  in  the 
fallow  earth,  which  rarely  betrays  its  promise  of  an 
abundant  harvest. 

There  are,  however,  well-born  people,  like  professed 
followers  of  Christ,  who  are  the  Peters  of  their  disci- 
pleship,  fallible  and  prone  to  lapses  from  virtue,  as 
the  sparks  to  fly  upward.  Yet  even  here  does  the  in- 
tegrity of  their  birth  assert  its  supremacy  and,  like 
the  anchor  to  the  vessel,  while  permitting  a  variety  of 
deviations  to  the  lead  of  enticing  winds,  tugs  ever  at 
its  heart  strings,  and  forever  holds  it  back  from  enter- 
ing upon  the  highways  of  total  destruction. 

Bobert  La  Grange  was  well  born,  in  the  true  sense 
of  integral  creation.  He  was  of  French  extraction, 
and  the  ascent  of  his  family  tree  upon  both  sides, 
could  be  made  from  base  to  apex,  without  stepping 
upon  a  rotten  branch. 

His  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Gascony,  France, 
and  claimed  direct  lineal  issue  from  the  house  of  La 
Grange  the  nobleman,  whose  too  faithful  genealogical 
record  cost  him  his  head  during  the  French  Revol- 
ution. 

His  family,  thereupon  impressed  with  the  wisdom 
of  the  axiom,  commending  discretion  as  the  better 
part  of  valor,  fled  before  the  shadows  of  the  guillotine, 
and  Anthony  La  Grange,  third  in  lineal  descent, 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  15 

settled  in  the  beautiful  vale  of  Monteith,  among  the 
hills  of  Campsie,  surrounded  by  the  most  romantic 
and  picturesque  scenery  in  the  highlands  of  Scotland. 

In  this  favored  spot,  hemmed  in  by  grand  and 
rugged  hills,  and  skirted  with  the  softer  and  richer 
elements  of  rural  vegetation,  Kobert  LaGrange  first 
saw  the  light.  His  wife,  Annie  Boyd,  was  the  third 
daughter  of  an  eminent  Scotch  clergyman,  whose 
devout  humble-mindedness,  never  seemed  to  gather  a 
tarnish  of  vanity  through  its  claims  of  having  been 
veined  from  the  royal  blood  of  the  patriots  and 
martyrs,  the  brave-hearted  covenanters  of  Scotland. 

It  was  ever  the  good  man's  delight  to  rehearse  those 
thrilling  scenes  in  Scottish  history,  which  transpired 
in  the  dark  days  of  persecution  under  Charles  the 
first,  and  his  faded  gray  eyes  would  rekindle  their 
youthful  fires  when  relating  stirring  incidents  handed 
down  through  a  long  line  of  noble  ancestry. 

Indeed,  history  has  poorly  haloed  the  heads  of 
those  illustrious  souls  who  kept  alive  in  Britain  the 
light  of  gospel  truth,  when  that  light  was  well-nigh 
extinguished,  stemming  the  torrents  of  temporal  and 
spiritual  tyranny. 

"From  scenes  like  these  auld  Scotia's  grandeur  springs, 
That  makes  her  loved  at  home,  revered  abroad. 

Princes  and  Lords  are  but  the  breath  of  Kings; 
An  honest  man's  the  noblest  work  of  God." 

In  sight  of  Sterling,  a  fine  old  Scottish  town  near 


16  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

the  river  Forth  at  the  base  of  the  Ochil  Hills,  stands 
a  little  thatch-roofed  house,  known  throughout  that 
rich  and  cultivated  plain  as  "The  Boyd  Cottage." 

Before  entering,  let  us  ascend  the  ledge  of  rocks, 
which  present  in  their  ragged  edges,  a  circuitous 
staircase,  leading  to  the  cloud-capped  summits  over- 
head. The  view  from  these  heights  is  sublime,  and, 
if  in  time  to  witness  a  sunrise,  you  have  spread  out 
before  you  one  of  the  rarest  pictures  in  a  world  of 
universal  loveliness.  The  sun,  from  these  altitudes, 
seems  as  though  rising  out  of  a  deep,  emerald  sea, 
and  his  ardent  glances,  as  they  pierce  the  dewdrops 
upon  the  heather  bells,  set  them  twinkling  like  a 
thousand  stars  at  your  feet.  You  hear  around  you 
the  scream  of  the  eagle,  the  bleating  of  the  lamb,  the 
merry  song  of  the  shepherd  and  his  shrill  whistle  as 
he  calls  to  his  faithful  collie,  the  companion  and 
assistant  in  the  watch  of  the  fold. 

Amid  such  scenes,  it  is  no  marvel  that  strong,  manly 
attributes,  and  sweet  womanly  refinements,  character- 
ized the  youth  who  took  root,  budded  and  bloomed 
on  its  soil. 

Sixteen  years  had  passed  since  Annie  Boyd,  young- 
est child  and  the  pride  of  the  old  cottager,  becoming 
the  \jife  of  Robert  La  Grange,  had  bidden  adieu  to 
her  native  vale.  Not  long  do  the  old  birds  hover 
around  the  empty  nest,  unless  a  wounded  fledgling 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  17 

returns,  to  nestle  again  in  its  brooding  warmth;  for  a 
childless  home  is  but  a  sepulchre  for  memory's  ghost 
to  haunt  with  taunting  visions  of  the  past  —  an  empty 
vase,  a  goblet  drained,  and  broken!  Eemember  this, 
O  fond  and  happy  mother,  while  trundle-bed  and  crib 
are  full,  and  dimpled  arms  encircle  your  neck,  and 
busy  fingers  toy  watonly  with  the  order  of  your  rooms, 
pull  at  your  skirts,  and  throw  in  sweet  confusion  all 
your  careful  elegances;  while  yet  the  velvet  lips  and 
rose-leaf  breath  of  infancy,  with  downy  head,  is  pil- 
lowed on  your  heart;  remember,  these  are  life's  ripe 
and  golden  hours,  which  are  winged  with  the  spirited 
flight  and  brilliancy  of  a  meteor's  march  through 
heaven.  Even  now,  the  cooler  months  are  trailing 
with  pale  blossoms  at  the  dainty  skirts  of  your  sum- 
mer robes,  and  gliding  stealthily  apace;  December 
looms  with  icy  breath,  and  hoary  locks,  weaving  his 
frost-spangled  garments,  airy  and  filmy  as  the  veil  of 
a  bride,  and  why  not  ?  She  is  bringing  in  heaped 
hands,  the  wedding  garments  of  death! — Night  is 
shutting  down  over  the  rocky  cliffs,  and  the  old  Boyd 
cottage  seems  less  a  dwelling  than  some  torn,  weather- 
beaten,  and  deserted  bird's  nest,  hanging  upon  its 
ragged  sides,  sad-faced  and  gloomy,  in  the  sombre 
shadows  of  a  moonless  eve. 

One  lonely  occupant  remains,— the  widowed  sister 
of  Annie  La  Grange.      She  has  lighted  her   lamp, 


18  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

drawn  a  little  table  near  to  the  dull-burning  peat 
fire,  and,  seating  herself,  proceeds  to  open  a  letter 
(in  size,  a  package),  whose  sudden  arrival  at  the 
hands  of  her  kind  neighbor  seems  more  the  presence 
of  an  angel  visitant,  than  written  words,  weeks  old; 
but  the  stamp  is  a  foreign  one,  and  the  emotional  ex- 
citement within  is  telegraphed  through  the  nerves, 
and  outspoken  in  the  trembling  fingers,  as  they  hasten 
to  break  the  seal. 

The  handwriting  was  not  familiar,  since  the  news 
of  Annie's  death,  the  sister  had  heard  nothing  of  the 
family  remaining  to  Robert  La  Grange.  Her  heart 
beat  audibly,  as  she  unfolded  the  package  of  closely 
written  pages. 

The  letter  was  from  Robert  La  Grange,  and  it  read 
as  follows: 

ST.  SAUL,  Mar.  1st,  18    . 
My  Dear  Sister! 

After  years  of  silence,  this  letter 
will  greet  you  in  the  character  of  a  surprise.  I  have 
been  determined  upon  writing  it  for  some  time.  My 
failing  health  admonishes  me  I  am  likely  to  be 
ushered  into  the  presence  of  God  at  any  hour.  I 
have  much  to  say  to  you  before  this  supreme  moment 
is  upon  me,  and  much,  very  much  more  to  ask  of  you, 
after  enlisting  your  patient  indulgence  with  me,  in  the 
reading  of  this  letter  to  the  end. 

Annie,  your  sister,  and  my  faithful,  angelic  wife, 
died  of  a  broken  heart.  This  is  the  figure,  the  literal 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  19 

of  which  is  —  I  murdered  her  !  It  was  death  by 
slow  torture,  as  much  so  as  if  I  had  bound  her  to  the 
stake  and  applied  the  burning  fagots,  keeping  up  the 
fires  day  and  night. 

In  the  Gallery  of  Art  in  Milan  is  an  immense 
painting,  a  representation  of  one  of  the  modes  of  In- 
quisitorial punishment.  The  figures  are  bound  to 
wooden  crosses,  and  under  the  nail  of  every  finger 
and  toe,  sharp  lancet  quilla  are  deeply  driven,  through 
which  the  life-blood  continually  trickles  away,  until 
the  heart  breaks  in  its  effort  to  draw  back  the  receding 
flood. 

For  months  after  Annie  died,  this  picture  was  pre- 
sented to  my  vision,  awake  or  asleep.  It  is  an  illus- 
tration of  the  cruelties  of  which  I  have  been  guilty, 
but  which  the  law  took  no  cognizance  of;  hence  I  was 
left  to  the  scourging  lash  of  that  stern  monitor  of  the 
soul,  CONSCIENCE  !  which,  after  a  lethargic  sleep  of 
ten  years,  "awoke  to  vivid  life  at  the  death-bed  of 
Annie,  and  only  since  my  partial  expiation,  has  it 
given  me  the  respite  of  a  tranquil  heart. 

The  steps  which  carried  me  down  were  few,  but 
precipitous.  You  gleaned  from  Annie  intelligence  of 
the  rough  voyage  we  had  in  crossing  over  to  America. 
Much  was  kept  back  of  this  voyage,  which  ended  in  a 
shipwreck,  and  the  loss  of  all  we  had,  save  my  money, 
which  I  belted  around  me  before  going  on  board  ship. 
Annie  must  have  suffered  bitterly  the  loss  of  all  cloth- 
ing and  bedding,  but  I  never  heard  her  murmur,  and 
her  love  for  the  old  folks  spared  them  the  unhappy 
details. 


20  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

This  secretiveness  at  the  outset— from  motives  most 
tender  and  pure — established  the  precedent,  after- 
wards deemed  justifiable  and  expedient,  of  withhold- 
ing through  a  decade  of  years,  all  further  recital  of 
our  domestic  miseries. 

It  was,  however,  reserved  for  my  punishment  to  re- 
view this  army  of  spectres — my  misdeeds — each  one 
rising  up  separately  in  judgment  against  me,  in  the 
handwriting  of  my  victim. 

In  this  recital  I  am  profoundly  impressed  with  the 
inscrutable  ways  of  God's  providence.  Through  his 
mercy  we  were  saved  from  the  wreck  of  the  sinking 
Europa.  The  men  secured  and  loaded  our  boats  with 
many  casks  of  choice  liquors,  which  our  exposure 
demanded  we  should  use  freely.  It  was  then  that  the 
accursed  taste* for  the  demon  drink  took  first  and  full 
possession  of  me,  and  its  hold  was  as  unrelaxing  as 
its  rule  was  demoniac.  I  felt  as  powerless  as  one 
might  in  being  carried  over  Niagara,  and  my  way 
out  looked  as  impossible. 

I  loved  my  wife  and  our  children,  and  had  lucid 
intervals  of  regret,  and  seasons  of  attempted  reform- 
ation; but  no  sooner  did  I  come  near  a  dram  shop, 
and  catch  its  fumes,  than  I  was  set  upon  by  the 
persuasive  muscular  powers  of  a  thousand  devils,  who 
seized  upon  me,  and  dragged  me  again  into  the  pres- 
ence of  the  wretch  who  clutched  for  my  money  as 
eagerly  as  Satan  and  his  accomplices  did  for  my  soul, 
when  the  hellish  draught  was  first  presented  me  in 
the  disguise  of  a  stimulant. 

I  descended  rapidly,  until  I  was  thoroughly  besot- 
ted, blind,  and  incorrigible;  my  whole  nature  was 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  21 

warped,  my  soul  smothered  in  a  sea  of  liquid  fire!  The 
home,  purchased  on  locating  in  St.  Saul,  I  mortgaged 
to  assuage  the  thirst  of  the  despot  raging  within,  and 
goading  me  on  to  destruction;  and  the  mortgagee 
could  only  collect  rent  of  me,  by  watching  his  chances 
to  follow  me  into  saloons,  and  seizing  the  money  on 
its  way  to  the  counter.  This  he  did,  with  the  double 
purpose  of  saving  Annie  the  annoyance  of  a  dun,  and 
the  sufferance  of  my  inebriated  presence,  for  that 
night  at  least. 

It  would  have  been  a  mystery  to  me  to  the  end  of 
time  how  Annie  supported  herself  and  the  children 
during  these  years,  had  she  not  bequeathed  me  from 
under  her  dying  pillow,  the  record  of  their  sufferings 
and  support. 

You  know  Annie  was  a  good  musician.  Her  old 
Scotch  guitar  was  strapped  over  my  shoulders,  and 
saved  with  our  lives,  from  the  ship's  wreck;  "for  who 
knows,"  said  the  then  light-hearted  Annie,  "but  I  may 
have  to  earn  our  bread  with  this  when  we  get  to 
America." 

How  more  than  verified  were  her  words,  spoken 
cheerily  under  the  shadow  of  the  sinking  Europa! 

This  guitar  is  still  in  my  possession,  and,  after  my 
beloved  Pearl  is  the  dearest  and  saddest  relic  left  me. 

But  I  must  hasten  to  the  sequel  of  my  strange  fall 
from  the  proud  heights  of  manhood,  and  my  regained 
position,  morally, — as  you  must  realize  I  am  a  ruined 
man  financially;  not  because  I  am  too  old  to  acquire 
wealth,  but  because  I  am  far  gone  in  consumption,  and 
restoration  to  health  is  impossible. 


22  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

To  Pearl,  the  angel  of  my  home,  I  owe  all  that  I 
am;  the  hope  of  reconciliation  to  Annie  in  heaven, 
and  the  forgiveness  of  Jehovah!  Pearl  was  never  a 
child.  She  seemed  to  become  a  woman  at  the  death 
bed  of  Annie.  Her  appeal  to  me,  in  the  presence  of 
her  dead  mother,  sobered  every  faculty  of  my  soul.  I 
shuddered  before  her  innocence  and  wisdom.  It  was 
like  the  breaking  up  of  the  fountains  of  the  great 
deep,  and  Satan  fell  from  under.  I  sprang  to  my 
feet  as  a  captive  from  whom  the  fetters  are  suddenly 
broken, — a  man  once  more,  and  the  father  and  pro- 
tector of  the  daughter  who  knelt  at  my  feet,  with  the 
eyes  of  Annie  imploring  me. 

A  dark  shadow  hung  over  our  home,  but  it  fell  to 
lift  a  greater  shadow,  and  in  Heaven  there  was  double 
cause  for  rejoicing,  over  the  released  prisoner  from 
sorrow,  and  the  reclaimed  prisoner  from  sin. 

I  have  been  able  to  keep  Pearl  in  the  Mozart 
School  of  Art,  and  to  supply  the  money  for  oar  modest 
wants.  The  circle  of  our  acquaintance  is  not  large, 
but  select — for  the  poor  may  choose  their  friends — • 
and  Pearl  is  only  seen,  to  be  admired  and  loved.  She 
will  soon  complete  her  studies,  and  has  already  an  op- 
portunity to  take  pupils  in  music.  This  reassures  me 
regarding  her  financial  independence  when  I  am  gone. 
But  this  is  not  enough  for  a  girl  whose  extreme  youth 
and  beauty,  exposes  her  to  the  unsparing  comment  of 
a  censorious  community.  She  must  have  a  guardian. 

Now,  my  sister,  have  you  not  already  divined  the 
secret  wishes  of  my  heart,  and  the  mission  of  thi/s 
selfish  letter?  You  are  alone.  Pearl  soon  will  be. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  23 

Why  should  the  ocean  divide  us  ?  I  cannot  die  and 
leave  this  child's  pure  presence  unprotected.  The 
shield  of  some  great,  strong  and  deathless  love  must 
guard  her  youth,  and  ward  from  her  the  faintest  shade 
of  harm  with  which  the  world  is  all  familiar.  Her 
loveliness  would  be  delightful  to  me  could  I  live  to 
shield  it.  It  saddens  now,  and  makes  me  wish  she 
were  not  half  so  beautiful.  You  have  been  a  prudent 
girl,  and  a  mother,  and  know  how  sensitive  to  soil  is 
virtue.  Surely,  if  living  still,  you  will  not  let  Pearl 
be  alone,  when  I  lie  down  to  die.  So  come,  and  make 
me  glad  before  the  heart-strings  break.  The  voices 
of  our  dead,  as  mine  in  dying,  call  upon  you.  I  have 
reserved  a  sum  sufficient  for  your  journey,  if  you 
need.  Reply  by  return  steamer,  and  believe  me 
Your  unworthy  brother, 

ROBERT  LA  GRANGE. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Who  IB  this  being,  in  whose  face 
A  more  than  mortal  beauty  beams  ? 

Woman  or  Angel,  she  hath  grace    , 
To  live  the  loveliness  she  seems. 

Eight  years  had  elapsed  since  the  death  of  Annie 
La  Grange;  eight  important  years  to  the  surviving 
members  of  her  deserted  home-circle.  To  one,  its 
vanished  hours  had  brought  Youth's  complete  crown 
of  wealth,  in  a  full-rounded,  healthful  existence;  to 


24  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

the  other,  the  gentle  admonition  of  waning  powers 
which,  like  so  many  storm-birds  alighting  upon  a  bil- 
low-tossed ship,  announce  in  advance  the  journey 
closing,  and,  through  the  misty  veil  above  the  breakers, 
the  grateful  verdure  of  new,  untraversed  shores 
beyond. 

In  all  these  years  memory  had  kept  faithful  watch , 
and  the  modest  niche  in  the  old  Taglewood  Cemetery 
was  just  as  conspicuous  for  its  dainty  floral  decora- 
tions, as  it  was  before  its  freshly  heaped  sod  had  come 
under  the  green  counterpane  that  nature  spreads  with 
impartial  hand  over  all  her  sleeping  children. 

Another  grave  had  been  made  in  the  virgin  turf 
close  beside, — a  little  grave, — which  nestled  so  nearly 
abreast  with  the  mother's,  that  the  flowers  above  them 
clasped  hands,  placed  their  rosy  cheeks  together,  and 
swinging  their  bright  censors  of  perfume,  continually 
pointed  with  soaring  incense,  the  mourner's  faith 
toward  Heaven. 

In  the  presence  of  imposing  monuments  and  tab- 
lets, these  isolated  flower-banks,  tenaciously  preserv- 
ing their  original  curves,  with  no  other  badge  of  dis- 
tinction to  protect  them  from  falling  into  the  foot 
aisles  of  the  cemetery,  were  never  passed  unnoticed. 
No  flowers  within  its  hallowed  precincts  bloomed  like 
these;  yet  heaven  alone  watered  them.  They  were 
known  by  frequenters  of  these  grounds  as  "the  myst- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  25 

erious  graves."  No  one  but  the  old  Sexton  had  ever 
seen  their  faithful  visitor  and  adorn  er;  and  he  was 
incessantly  plied  with  questions  concerning  them.  The 
answers  to  these  so  excited  the  youthful  romancers  of 
the  town,  that  many  strangers  could  be  seen  in  the 
long  summer  evenings,  sauntering  over  the  yard  in 
search  of  the  "unknown  graves,  and  the  young  girl  in 
white." 

Profoundly  impressed  with  the  notoriety  and  im- 
portance this  unshared  secret  gave  him,  about  which 
the  world  seemed  daily  more  curious  to  unravel,  Pat, 
who  was  not  a  little  superstitious,  would  roll  his 
Hibernian  blue  eyes  upward,  cross  himself  before 
his  questioners,  and  "  'By  the  Holy  Saint  Pathrick', 
declare  her  to  be  'An  Angel,'  and  no  ither,  who 
tended  those  graves." 

Only  on  Sabbath  evening  could  she  be  seen.  "Niver 
one  word  does  she  spake  to  me"  said  he,  "but  with 
the  Virgin  Mary's  smile  she  goes  by  me,  her  white 
gown  fluttering  like  an  angel's  wing  intirely;  and 
faith",  said  he,  "I.  fall,  as  Saul  did  before  the  blissed 
light,  and  I  never  roise,  till  I've  counted  my  ivery 
bade." 

The  reader  has  already  guessed  the  individuality  of 
this  grave-yard  apparition,  and,  assuming  the  guess 
tb  be  a  correct  one,  let  us  drop  the  curtain  upon  this 
city  of  the  dead;  not  however,  until  we  have  com- 


26  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

mended  it,  with  all  kindred  cities,  to  the  care  of  the 
angels,  who  keep  a  sacred  watch,  and  very  night 
delight  to  brim  their  urns  with  holy  light! 

The  city  of  busy  life  swarms  near,  where  the  erec- 
tion of  twenty  miles  of  building  annually,  is  seemingly 
but  a  mere  pastime  for  the  ambitious  artisan. 

Bordering  the  picturesque  grounds  of  "Tangle- 
wood,"  and  raying  out  like  so  many  sunbeams  escap- 
ing from  a  dense  forestry  of  shade,  forked  the  broad 
carriage  drives  of  Rural  heights.  It  was  the  closing 
of  a  midsummer's  day,  and  the  earth  lay  under  a 
canopy  of  iridescent  clouds.  That  it  was  the  world's 
leisure  hour,  no  proclamation  w'as  required  to  estab- 
lish, but  the  positive  edict  of  vision. 

The  motley  crowds  were  out  in  full  force;  eren  the 
wide  avenues  were  blocked  with  vehicles  of  every  des- 
cription, from  the  shining  equipages  and  equestrian 
trappings  of  the  monied  aristocracy — whose  ruling 
dictum  is  a  golden  sceptre — down  to  the  modest 
chaise,  and  donkey  cart,  and  the  rude,  unpretentious 
rigs  of  the  countrymen.  Pedestrians  were  sprinkled 
thickly  through,  who  cautiously  picked  their  way 
among  prancing  steeds,  enveloped  in  blinding  clouds 
of  dust. 

Conspicuous  among  the  grand  turn-outs,  was  a 
chestnut  span,  drawing  the  elegant  cabriolet  of  Gover- 
nor Kellogg,  a  man  whose  royal,  intellectual  gifts 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  27 

adorned  the  gubernatorial  chair,  as  confessedly  as 
his  universal  popularity,  socially,  made  him  the  cyno- 
sure of  every  eye,  when  exposed  to  public  gaze. 

Beside  this  brain-king  among  men,  sat  his  wife, 
whose  countenance,  from  only  a  passing,  casual  glance, 
might  have  impressed  one  ( poorly  visioned )  as  come- 
ly, but  upon  close  study  and  careful  scrutiny  revealed 
an  ugly  collection  of  facial  corrugations,  that  told  but 
too  plainly  the  fierce  warfare  of  contending  passions 
within. 

Her  build  was  coarse  and  angular,  and  her  nature 
selfish  and  irritable  in  the  extreme;  yet  her  social 
diplomacy  was  such,  that  she  concealed  this  moral 
warp  of  hers  from  the  world,  and  when  she  left  her 
boudoir,  as  completely  laid  aside  her  real,  reptilian 
self  with  her  domestic  habiliments,  as  though  she  had 
exchanged  souls  with  some  delightful  being,  and  re- 
veled in  the  recreative  effect,  as  pleasing  to  herself 
as  to  her  noble  consort. 

Now,  I  do  not  believe  the  world  contains  many  such 
two-fold  existences;  but  a  "fallen  angel,"  now  and 
then  at  the  fireside,  is  sufficient  proof  to  the  most 
skeptical,  that  none  but  a  Christ  could  redeem  and 
restore  such  Eves  to  the  despoiled  realms  of  their 
lost  Edens. 

With  her  consummate  tact,  masked  in  smiles,  and 
her  suavities,  haloed  in  the  beauty-embellishments  of 


28  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

satin,  lace  and  diamonds,  and  under  the  escort  of  a 
princely  man,  it  is  not  marvelous  that  she  shared, 
scarcely  second  to  her  husband,  the  admiration  and 
esteem  of  all. 

At  the  junction  of  the  avenues,  the  carriages  entered 
Circle  Park,  bright  with  blooming  shrubbery,  frolic- 
some fountains,  royal  foliage  beds,  and  spirited  music. 
Here  a  strife  among  the  coachmen  resulted  in  a  seri- 
ous blockade  of  rolling  vehicles,  putting  them  at  their 
wit's  end  to  steer  clear  of  each  other.  Coaches  col- 
lided, wheels  locked,  drivers  screamed  out  terrible 
oaths,  and  ladies  fainted. 

Suddenly,  above  the  confusion  and  din,  came  the 
shrill  cry,  "Halt !  You  are  running  over  women  and 
children!" 

All  but  the  Governor's  team  obeyed.  The  excited 
animals,  plunging  and  rearing,  dashed  forward  with 
mad  precipitancy  which  threatened  to  sweep  every- 
thing in  their  path. 

The  Governor's  hands  were  now  holding  the  reins, 
but  to  no  effect.  The  mettle  of  his  thoroughbreds  was 
up,  and  nothing  short  of  a  very  miracle  could  save  the 
precious  lives  they  dragged  after  them. 

Rapidly  clearing  the  circle  of  the  Park,  they 
plunged  into  the  crowded  thoroughfare  leading  city- 
ward. 

With  incredible  swiftness  the  avenue  was  cleared 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  29 

in  advance  of  them  as  on  they  flew  with  dauntless 
speed.  The  danger  attending  an  attempted  rescue  of 
the  beloved  Governor  and  his  lady  seemed  as  great  as 
to  await  the  ominous  results  of  the  accident;  and  he- 
roes and  heroines  are  not  made  of  common  stuff,  so 
the  gaping  crowd  looked  on. 

At  this  juncture,  a  poor  little  hunchback,  trying  to 
effect  an  impossible  escape  in  crossing,  hesitated, 
as  if  undecided  which  way  to  move,  or  paralyzed 
with  fear.  To  the  consternation  of  every  beholder,  a 
young  girl,  with  a  face  as  white  as  her  spotless  gar- 
ments, threw  herself  in  front  of  the  horses  and  seiz- 
ing the  trembling  hunchback,  had  nearly  dragged 
him  out  of  the  path,  arresting  the  attention  of  the  af- 
frighted horses  which  now  wheeled,  striking  the  curb- 
stone and  upsetting  the  cabriolet  and  its  occupants. 

In  the  blinding  clouds  of  dust  which  enveloped 
everything  around  them,  it  was  impossible  to 
comprehend  the  extent  of  the  catastrophe.  The  horses 
were  captured,  and  like  wildfire  the  news  was  spread 
over  the  city  that  Governor  Kellogg  and  his  lady  had 
been  picked  up  senseless. 

The  carriage  of  his  private  secretary,  which  had 
kept  as  closely  in  the  wake  of  the  runaway  as  possible, 
had  borne  the  insensible  forms  of  the  Governor  and 
his  wife  to  their  residence.  Surgeons  and  physicians 


30  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

and  particular  friends  had  followed;  and  that  was  as 
much  as  the  world  could  glean. 

The  excitement  was  beyond  description.  Curiosity 
ran  at  fever  heat  concerning  the  name  and  rank  of 
the  intrepid  girl  who  had  fearlessly  thrown  herself 
in  the  path  of  the  flying  steeds,  had  checked  their 
course,  saved  the  lives  of  the  august  pair,  and  had 
attempted  also  to  save  the  life  of  an  unfortunate 
hunchback  who,  trampled  under  the  horses'  hoofs, 
was  supposed  to  have  been  killed  outright. 

Some  one  who  claimed  to  have  known  the  girl 
when  the  pupil  of  the  Maestro  conducting  the  Mozart 
School  of  Art,  said  "she  was  a  young  music-teacher, 
enthused  with  her  art,  very  poor  and  saintly  beauti- 
ful;" and  "certainly,"  added  her  earnest  advocate,  "has 
proved  herself  an  American  heroine  with  a  Greek 
soul!" 

The  secretary's  carriage  had  hardly  rolled  away 
with  its  sad  burden  in  the  direction  of  the  Governor's 
mansion,  when  a  genial-faced  gentleman  with  an  anxi- 
ous expression  of  countenance,  nervously  questioning 
every  passer-by,  hurriedly  walked  in  the  direction  of 
the  Park.  The  man  was  in  the  meridian  of  life,  very 
erect,  of  slight  but  symmetrical  build  and  dressed  in 
a  professional  suit  of  black  broadcloth. 

He  was  a  physician  and  a  stranger  in  town,  and  his 
business  may  best  be  explained  by  perusing  the  fol- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  31 

lowing  notice,  which  enlivened  all  the  lamp-posts  and 
was  placarded  along  the  thoroughfares  leading  in  and 
out  of  the  city  in  all  directions : 

A  MEDICAL  INSTITUTE. 

"A  meeting  of  the  Medical  Institute  of  the  great 
Northwest  and  Canada  will  be  five  days  in  session,  in 
the  parlors  of  the  Y,  M.  C.  A.  Lectures  on  Cliniques 
a  specialty.  Eesident  physicians  and  medical  students 
especially  invited  to  attend. 

By  order  of      #      *      #       * 

( Then  followed  a  list  of  names,  comprising  many 
of  the  most  distinguished  M.  D.s'  of  the  continent, 
who,  it  was  set  forth,  would  be  present. ) 

Upon  reaching  the  suburbs  the  stranger  quickened 
his  pace,  and,  passing  through  a  dense  grove  of  map- 
les, stood  before  the  massive  gates  of  St.  Mary's 
Hospital. 

It  was  deep  dusk,  and  the  swinging  porch-lamp 
impressed  him  cheerfully,  as  it  flashed  over  the  granite 
pillars,  and  lit  up  the  graveled  walks  with  a  thousand 
tiny  sparkles. 

St.  Mary's  was  strictly  a  charity  institution.  Con- 
trolled by  the  laity,  and  conducted  by  the  Sisters 
alone,  it  was  regarded  universally  for  its  pure,  unsec- 
ular  benefactions.  Upon  the  poor,  broken  in  spirit 
and^health,  it  poured  out  the  oil  of  healing  with  one 


32  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

and  the  same  impartial  hand  with  which  it  administ- 
ered to  the  rich  and  rumerative.  Stranger  and  citi- 
zen alike  repaired  to  its  peaceful  wards,  to  bask  in  the 
restful  shade,  and  be  brooded  for  a  lustrum  of  days 
in  an  atmorphere  of  soft  speech,  and  under  the  liberal 
nursing  of  anticipating  care. 

Over  its  grand  entrance,  in  luminous  characters, 
was  the  Latin  motto,  "Bes  Est  Sacra  Miser" — "A 
Suffering  Person  is  a  Sacred  Thing";  and  never  had 
the  testimony  of  its  inmates  compromised  the  grace 
and  dignity  of  this  noble  paraphrase. 

"Am  I  right?"  asked  the  physician,  as  soon  as  the 
usher  answered  his  portal  ring.  "Is  there  a  young 
lad  here  who  was  run  over  by  the  Governor's  carriage 
this  evening  V  " 

''Yes  sir:  if  you  mane  a  little  hunchback." 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  the  courteous  stranger,  as  if  solil- 
oquizing to  himself. — "I  had  forgotten  that  ! — His 
mother  and  I  never  think  him  differently  formed  from 
other  children,  he  is  so  good,  so  gentle,  so  dutiful  !" 
and  the  usher,  blushing  at  the  rude  bluntness  of  her 
words,  hastened  to  repair,  by  adding: 

"Indade  and  indade,  sir,  he's  as  amiable  a  lad  as 
one  would  wish  to  see  !  And  your  son  it  is  ?  Troth  ! 
He's  as  like  to  you,  as  two  pays  in  a  pod!" 

"My  name  is  Carlisle  and  Hugh  is  my  only  child, 
answered  the  dignified  stranger,  who  had  now  risen 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  33 

and  stood  nervously  tapping  his  cane  upon  the  marble 
floor  of  the  reception-room,  as  his  anxiety  to  know 
the  worst  gained  full  ascendancy,  and  the  tedious 
blarney  of  the  usher  grew  rasping  and  offensive. 

"Tell  me,"  said  the  stranger  sternly,  "is  the  child 
hurt  badly,  and  can  I  not  see  him  at  once  ?  " 

"Och  sure  !  and  you  can  sir  ;  for  it's  niver  a  poor 
widder  loike  me,  who  would  be  afther  kaping  a  fine, 
rich  gintleman  like  yourself  from  his  only  lad.  The 
poor  little  cratur  looks  more  like  wanting  a  good  male 
of  praties  and  buttermilk,  than  the  loikes  of  the  bitter 
thrash  the  doctor  has  been  choking  him  with." 

Carlisle,  physician  as  he  was,  could  scarcely  sup- 
press an  audible  smile  at  this  parting  shot  of  the  gar- 
rulous Biddy,  as  she  left  him  at  the  door  of  the  con- 
valescent ward.  * 

The  apartment  was  as  spacious,  sunny  and  immac- 
ulately clean  as  though  it  had  just  been  let  down  from 
some  dustless  realm,  where  sunshine  and  sweetness 
alone  had  homes,  and  the  marring  elements  of  dirt 
and  darkness  had  no  affiliating  properties. 

The  keen  and  practiced  glance  of  Dr.  Carlisle 
had,  in  one  sweep  of  vision,  taken  in  every  appoint- 
ment of  comfort,  noted  the  number  of  convalescents 
and  nurses,  and  discovered  the  object  of  his  visit  be- 
fore he  himself  had  been  observed  as  an  admitted 
guest. 


34  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Seeing  his  child  wrapped  in  sleep,  he  moved  a  chair 
up  lightly  to  the  side  of  the  cot  and  gently  pressed 
his  fingers  upon  the  slender  girl-like  wrist. 

"How  long  has  he  been  sleeping?"  was  the  whis- 
pered inquiry  of  the  nurse. 

"An  hour  just,"  said  the  placid-faced  sister,  con- 
sulting the  clock  upon  the  mantel,  which,  in  the  im- 
pressive stillness  of  the  room,  seemed  to  be  slashing 
out  the  moments  with  hammer  and  tongs. 

"  I  am  the  boy's  father,"  pursued  Dr.  Carlisle. 
"Are  his  injuries  serious?  His  pulse  is  a  trifle  flighty, 
but  his  skin  is  moist  and  natural." 

"  No,  sir;  our  hospital  surgeon  thoroughly  exam- 
ined him,  and  beyond  a  few  bruises  he  has  escaped 
physical  injury.  The  doctor,  however,  thought  he  had 
sustained  a  severe  nervous  shock  and  perhaps  a  slight 
concussion  of  the  brain;  but  he  has  talked  incessantly 
since  coming  out  of  the  faint,  and  until  the  adminis- 
tered narcotic  took  effect,  the  beautiful  young  girl 
who  saved  him  from  a  violent  and  terrible  death  was 
all  his  theme." 

"Who  is  this  youthful  beauty?"  said  Dr.  Carlisle. 

"Well,  really,  I  could  not  tell  you,  sir;  there  are  so 
many  conflicting  rumors  regarding  her  identity,— 
whether  mortal  or  celestial.  She  may  be  human;  she 
may  be  an  angel.  Really,  I  deem  the  tale  a  mythical 
one  from  beginning  to  end.  The  old  sexton  of  Tan- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  35 

glewood  cemetery  seems  to  have  her  genealogy  right 
from  St.  Peter's  holy  lips;  and  he  has  booked  her  'an 
angel.'  However,  if  the  sexton's  angel  and  the  girl 
in  white  who  rescued  your  son,  are  one  and  the  same, 
I  am  ready  to  discredit  the  statement  regarding  her 
ethereal  origin." 

"She  certainly  rendered  material  aid  in  the  instance 
of  saving  three  precious  lives,  and  I,  for  one,  am  her 
debtor  henceforth,"  said  Dr.  Carlisle. 

Here  the  sister,  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Carlisle, 
withdrew,  and  the  fond  father  established  his  watch, 
insisting  upon  taking  the  entire  care  of  his  son  till 
able  to  be  removed. 

Having  obtained  the  necessary  material  for  letter- 
writing,  Dr.  Carlisle  proceeded  to  post  his  wife,  who 
was  several  hundred  miles  to  the  eastward,  regarding 
the  accident  to  their  son,  his  happy  escape,  and  mat- 
ters of  mutual  interest;  but  we  will  take  the  liberty 
of  looking  over  his  shoulder  before  leaving  St.  Mary's, 
and  perusing  for  ourselves  this  remarkable  letter.  If 
it  does  not  refresh  our  memories  it  may  stimulate  our 
anticipation  of  future  events. 

St.  Mary's  Hospital, 

ST.  SAUL,  U.  S.  A.,  7-20-18 . 

My  Dear  Wife : 

I  am  unavoidably  delayed  in  this  saintly 
[  ?]  realm.     Hugh  met  with  a  very  narrow  escape  this 


36  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

evening,  but  give  yourself  no  uneasiness.  He  is  not 
seriously  hurt.  I  shall  watch  over  him  from  this  on 
very  closely,  not  permitting  him  to  be  on  the  street 
save  under  my  escort. 

This  is  a  city  of  unbounded  wealth  and  enterprise, 
but,  like  all  new  places,  its  extreme  youth  involves  it 
in  many  weaknesses,  and  society  is  in  a  crude,  chaotic 
state.  The  standard  of  one's  social  status  is  wealth. 
Wealth  gives  position;  position  merit,  independent  of 
brains  or  culture.  The  people  holding  the  money  are 
largely  sporting  characters,  uncultured,  ambitious 
only  to  accumulate  wealth  and  out-dazzle  their  neigh- 
bors, snobbish,  boorish  and  unrefined;  their  women 
coarse,  shoddy,  flashy  and  silly.  A  successful  entree 
into  Madame  Grundy's  "elite"  circles  (which  seem  to 
be  guarded  with  the  rake  of  jealousy  and  the  pitchfork 
of  malevolence )  depends  entirely  upon  the  conduct  of 
your  purse,  not  growth  of  soul  or  cultivation  of  heart. 
There  are  true  people  here — good,  kingly  men  and 
queenly  women;  but  I  am  speaking  of  the  dominant 
class,  who  hold  the  money  and  wield  the  social  baton. 
Soto  voce;  express  to  me  instanter  the  medalion 
locket.  If  I  have  not  seen  the  veritable  original,  my 
memory  illy  serves  me.  Not  the  spirit  of  revenge, 
but  the  demands  of  "poetic  justice"  require  that  this 
life  purpose  of  ours  should  not  be  abandoned.  This 
human  monster,  who  thought  to  make  her  record 
white,  and  with  her  gold  tempt  poorer  souls  to  steep 
their  hands  in  blood.  Ah!  Was  it  not  a  wonderful 
interposition  of  Providence  that  we  could  stand  be- 
tween her  and  that  crime?  Yet,  spiritually,  she  is  as 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  37 

guilty  of  its  commission  as  though  her  order  had  been 
executed,  and  dead  or  living,  conscience  loops  the  rope 
around  her  throat.  I  shall  keep  Hugh  in  the  arms  of 
the  hospital  nurse  until  he  is  entirely  restored.  I  had 
nearly  forgotten  to  say  that  we  owe  his  life  to  the  he- 
roic efforts  of  a  young  woman,  who,  with  the  double 
purpose  at  heart  of  saving  the  State's  beloved  Gover- 
nor and  his  lady,  when  dashing  down  the  avenue  be- 
hind their  runaway  horses,  and  our  darling  from  being 
trampeled  under  hoofs  and  wheels,  threw  herself  in 
the  path  of  the  maddened  animals  and  diverted  them 
from  their  course,  which  resulted  in  the  saving  of 
every  life  and  the  capture  of  the  horses.  I  have  just 
examined  Hugh's  pulse.  It  is  regular.  He  looks  a 
shade  paler.  I  will  enclose  his  love  and  kisses  with- 
out arousing  him  from  his  delicious  and  now  all-im- 
portant recuperating  repose. 

Faithfully  yours, 

Louis  CARLISLE. 


CHAPTEK  IV. 


October  comes — the  ruddy  Maid 

With  sun-bronzed  cheek,  and  nut-brown  hair; 
With  eyes,  which,  like  Chamelion  shade, 

From  dusky  gray,  to  pale  sapphire. 

The  rustling  autumnal  winds  were  sighing  over  their 
fallen  splendors.  The  air  had  that  first  suggestion  of . 
frost  which  stirs  the  pulse,  left  languid  from  sum- 


38  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

mer'8  too  fervent  heat,  restores  the  lost  balance  of 
physical  and  spiritual  powers,  and  lends  one  a  rapt- 
urous sense  of  existence  only — an  experience  of  pure 
delight. 

It  was  Saturday,  the  holiday  of  the  busy  school- 
room. Col.  Veen's  residence  on  Grand  avenue  looked 
unusually  attractive,  and  well  it  might,  since  land- 
scape gardeners  had  been  occupied  over  a  week  in 
preparing  the  magnificent  grounds  for  this  eventful 
date — the  eighteenth  birthday  of  his  only  daughter, 
Cecile  Laurene,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  pupils  in  the 
graduating  class  of  the  Mozart  school. 

The  mansion  looked  like  a  huge  piece  of  statuary, 
wreathed  in  vines,  with  brilliant  exotics  dripping  their 
blooms  over  its  snowy  window  seats.  On  either  side 
of  the  grand  entrance,  and  peeping  out  between  the 
Corinthian  pillars  supporting  the  open  vestibule,  were 
tall  Parian  flower  vases,  loading  the  air  with  the  "sweet 
incense  overflowing  their  velvet  cups.  Each  floral 
dainty  throughout  the  grounds  had  been  coaxed  into 
a  farewell  bloom,  and  luxuriant  foliage  beds  deepened 
the  unbroken  carpet  of  green  like  gorgeous  Persian 
rugs. 

From  a  polite  morning  hour  till  past  midday  the 
scene  had  been  one  of  enchantment.  A  band  of  music 
stationed  at  the  gates  welcomed  the  guests,  and  con- 
gratulations, flowers  and  gifts  were  showered  upon 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  39 

the  modest  head  of  their  young  recipient  with  a  sin- 
cerity of  manner  which  left  no  doubt  in  Col.  Veen's 
mind  of  the  love  and  esteem  and  social  popularity  of 
this  daughter  of  his  house. 

Cecile's  companion-guests  numbered  an  even  hun- 
dred, and  nearly  all  of  them  were  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  wealth.  Col.  and  Mrs.  Veen  were  the  superi- 
ors of  the  majority  of  the  wealthier  class  of  St  Saul. 

The  Col.  was  a  popular  politician,  a  devoted  consti- 
tuent of  Gov.  Kellogg' s,  a  man  of  liberal  views,  cor- 
rect principles,  large-hearted  and  devoted  to  the  loves 
of  home.  Of  his  two  children — one  only  son  and 
daughter — he  was  most  justly  proud. 

His  wife,  a  handsome  showy  woman,  had  fair  intel- 
lectual gifts,  was  clever  in  housewifery  arts,  good- 
hearted  in  the  main,  but  possessing  no  deep  religious 
convictions  upon  any  subject; — led  by  impulse  and 
ordinary  vanity,  she  was  as  a  leaf  tossed  upon  every 
passing  breath  of  air — sure  to  mount  and  fly  away  in 
a  gale,  with  all  the  light  rubbish  aimlessly  playing 
over  the  surface  of  solid  and  rooted  things.  As  long 
as  she  held  back  her  children  with  her  in  the  idle 
pursuit  of  shadows,  she  lavished  love  and  embel- 
lished their  way  with  glittering  splendors ;  but  as  soon 
as  they  outgrew  the  follies  and  hollow  vanities  which 
narrowed  them  down,  and  perceived  the  difference 
between  the  shadow  and  substance  of  things,  they 


40  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

were  that  moment  introduced  to  the  tree  of  life  in  the 
spiritual  gardens  of  God;  and  no  unconsecrated  hand 
had  power  to  pluck  them  back. 

Col.  Veen's  home  was  palatial  in  every  sense,  and 
artistically  furnished  throughout.  After  the  lovers 
of  the  beautiful  had  made  the  rounds  of  its  luxurious 
appointments,  viewing  paintings  and  statuary,  they 
joined  the  out-door  groups,  engaged  in  games  of  cro- 
quet and  archery  until  the  sweet  hostess  announced 
the  tables  in  waiting,  when  as  by  magic,  the  company 
in  pairs  filed  through  the  marble  porticos  and  into 
the  dining  salons. 

Cecile'seyes  searched  narrowly  the  long  procession 
through.  The  search  was  futile!  Pearl  La  Grange 
and  Stanley  Veen  were  not  there ! 

"  Where  can  they  be?"  mentally  queried  Cecile; 
but  proudly  determining  that  no  one  else  should  miss 
them  in  the  crowd,  she  hastened  to  place  herself  in 
the  midst  of  her  friends,  where  the  munificence  and 
elegance  of  the  edibles  absorbed  the  attention  and 
gastrononlical  abilities  of  all,  and,  surprising  as  it  may 
seem,  the  handsome  brother  of  Cecile  was  not  called 
for.  Only  Mrs.  Veen  came  around  to  Cecile's  chair^ 
asking  for  her  brother;  and  Col.  Veen  noting  the  ab- 
sence of  both  Stanley  and  Pearl,  concluded  that  they 
had  strayed  through  the  park  and  missed  the  banquet 
call  which  had  been  played  by  the  band. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  41 

After  the  birthday  feast,  the  palace  was  invitingly 
thrown  open,  from  the  four  sides  of  its  marble  en- 
trances, to  the  grand  out-looking  galleries  surround- 
ing the  observatory,  all  aflame  in  the  direct  rays  of 
the  descending  sun. 

The  guests  now  flocked  like  so  many  chirping  birds 
around  their  companion  and  hostess,  taking  affection- 
ate leave  with  the  fresh  and  sweet  sincerity  of  exu- 
berant girlhood.  Cecile  stood  inclining  her  beautiful 
head,  and  smiling  with  all  the  frank  heartiness  of  her 
sincere  and  artless  nature,  gazing  from  the  porch 
through  the  wreathed  gateway,  where  in  merry  groups 
her  friends  passed  out  and  disappeared  along  the 
shaded  avenue. 

At  last  realizing  herself  alone,  she  turned  in  the 
park,  where  the  sunlight  was  throwing  its  good  night 
kisses,  and  where  she  remembered  to  have  seen  Pearl 
and  Stanley  last.  She  had  not  proceeded  far  before 
she  heard  their  voices  and  concealing  herself  behind 
the  thick  shrubbery  which  guarded  the  path,  she 
waited  till  they  were  within  reaching  distance,  then 
darting  down  the  walk,  she  threw  her  arms  caressingly 
around  her  sister-friend,  and  giving  Stanley  a  re- 
proving glance — the  studied  severity  of  which  lost  its 
force  in  the  eyes'  glad  tenderness— she  cried: 

"Ah  yes;  you  tried  to  foil  me,  Stanley  Veen,  when 
Pearl  is  mine,  all  mine  to-day,  and  if  I  get  so  small  a 


42  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

third  in  this  sworn  trinity  of  ours,  the  bond  shall  be 
dissolved  to-night  and  you  shall  be  cut  off  from  our 
close  fellowship." 

"Pearl  shall  decide  that  question,  sister  mine,"  and 
Stanley,  gently  parting  their  crossed  hands,  divided 
them  and  placed  himself  between  them,  looping  his 
arms  about  them  both  in  such  a  brotherly  fashion 
that  the  serious  proposition  just  made  by  Cecile,  to 
break  their  circle,  leaving  Stanley  out,  seemed  so  pre- 
posterous, so  impossible  an  act — akin  to  their  own 
severance  from  each  other — that  the  two  girls,  im- 
pressed alike  with  the  absurdity  of  the  thought, 
laughed  loud  and  long  together;  indeed  they  did  not 
cease  their  mirthful  melody  till  Stanley,  turning  away 
from  them  said: 

"I'll  anticipate  my  orders  now;  not  wait  as  silly, 
passe  actresses  have  done,  to  be  hissed  off  the  stage." 

"Cast  Stanley  off,  indeed! "  said  Cecile,  throwing 
her  arms  about  her  brother's  neck  and  dragging  him 
back.  "We'll  discuss  that  grave  alternative  when 
fairyland  returns  and  darling  brothers  just  like  him 
are  picked  from  every  bush,"  and  the  sister  kissed 
away  the  frown  which  a  moment  before  sat  like  a 
cloud  upon  the  clear  heaven  of  his  brow. 

"Come  now,"  said  Cecile,  "we've  had  nonsense  long 
enough.  The  sun  disgusted  threatens  to  desert  us 
and  the  ugly  witch  of  darkness  will  not  bring  the 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  43 

moon  to-night,  to  iron  out  her  frowns.  I  hate  these 
moonless  nights!  But  tell  me  cruel  truants,  where 
were  you  and  what  were  your  engagements  —  let  me 
see  —  between  the  hours  of  twelve  and  five  ?  I've 
really  had  no  perfect  hapiness  since  first  I  missed  you 
but  in  looking  forward  to  our  union;  and  this  I've 
kept  in  store  as  one  holds  back  their  best  sense 
through  the  dinner  for  the  dessert.  Come!  Now  for 
Komance,  Strategy,  and  Spoils  !  My  appetite  is  keen 
and  whetted  with  the  steel  of  woman's  curiosity." 

"Be  seated  then  right  here,"  said  Stanley,  "and  you 
shall  have  my  story.  I  too,  await  Miss  Pearl's  for  by 
the  good  St.  Mark  who  stands  in  bronze  upon  yon  cu- 
pola breaking  the  arrows  of  the  sun,  I  - 

"No  oaths"  said  Cecile  "Truth  ungarnished  now." 
"Well,  here  you  have  it  in  epitome.  Pearl  and 
Ruby  Clark  were  in  the  grotto.  I  saw  them  enter 
and  I  followed.  Just  then  I  heard  three  shots  fired 
quickly,  one  after  the  other.  You  know  the  law  is 
strict  upon  this  point  and  papa  cultivates  the  wild 
birds  just  as  much  as  trees  and  shrubbery  in  these 
grounds.  I  ran  in  the  direction  of  the  shots  and  it 
seems  Pearl  kept  up  with  me,  for  when  I  called  her 
name  and  turned  she  answered  from  the  thicket  near 
the  bank  and  the  tone  of  her  voice  alarmed  me.  I 
found  her  bending  over  the  limp  form  of  a  boy,  whom 
I  thought  dead  and  she  declared  had  only  fainted. 


44  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

I  ran  to  the  fountain,  dipped  and  returned  with  my 
hat  full  of  water  which  no  sooner  had  I  dashed  over 
his  face  than  lo  !  two  staring  eyes,  first  questioned 
Pearl  then  me. 

"Where's  your  pistol?  "  said  I,  supposing  he  carried 
concealed  weapons. 

"  I  -  I  -  I  ha' n't  got  any.     Those  men  shot  at  me." 

"What  men  ?  said  I;  and  then  in  his  poor  stutter- 
ing style  he  told  us  he  lived  on  the  Dakota  side  of 
the  river ;  that  his  father  had  sent  him  over  to  the 
fort  for  a  doctor  in  a  little  skiff  and  just  as  he  was 
landing,  two  deserters  from  the  fort  ordered  him  to 
bring  them  to  St.  Saul ;  that  he  had  pleaded  with  them 
telling  of  his  dying  mother  and  the  great  need  of 
instant  help  for  her,  but  they  only  answered  by  push- 
ing him  into  tho  boat  and  commanding  him  to  row 
them  quickly  to  St.  Saul  or  they  would  drown  him 
then  and  there. 

"He  heard  them  tell  of  their  escape  from  the  guard- 
house and  how  they  would  hide  themselves  under 
'Steeple  Cliff'  till  night  and  then,  said  they,  we'll 
forage  for  citizen's  clothes  and  money  to  get  off  on 
the  daylight  train  with." 

"As  they  landed,  the  lad  would  have  returned  at 
once  but  the  men  forced  him  up  the  bank  into  our 
park  woods  their  shortest  route  to  the  cliff  promising 
the  poor  child  money.  As  soon  as  they  reached  the 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  45 

woods  one  said  to  the  other:  'This  brat  will  put  a 
blood-hound  on  our  track  and  dead  men  tell  no  tales,' 
and  pulling  out  a  revolver  from  the  inside  of  his  shirt 
he  fired.  The  boy  ran  stumbled  and  fell  upon  reach- 
ing the  opening  and  was  then  abandoned  by  the  men 
who  supposed  they  had  killed  him,  but  who  had  for- 
tunately given  him  only  a  slight  flesh  wound." 

"The  fright  and  excitement  of  the  strange  incident 
and  the  sorrow  he  felt  when  he  thought  of  his  poor 
mother  —  perhaps  then  beyond  help  —  completely 
crushed  him.  Pearl  chafed  his  temples  and  with  her 
handkerchief  bound  up  his  bleeding  arm." 

"Now,  said  I  to  Pearl,  you  stay  here  till  the  boy  is 
able  to  walk  up  to  the  house  and  I  will  go  at  once  for 
officers  to  apprehend  these  men  for  they  may  do  some 
bloody  deed  to-night,  if  not  at  once  arrested." 

"I  did  my  errand  and  the  men  are  now  behind  the 
bars.  When  I  came  back  I  thought  to  find  Pearl  with 
you  at  the  house  but  had  no  sooner  reached  the  lower 
Park  than  she  appeared  just  in  advance  of  me  and 
moving  as  though  she  too  were  pursued.  I  had  only 
caught  up  with  her  and  told  of  my  successful  capture 
of  the  men  when  you  sprang  out  in  the  fashion  of  an 
officer  and  seized  us  both." 

"Now,  Miss  Pearl,  it  seems  you  have  been  missing 
too,  till  now.  Really,  the  mysteries  multiply  !  No 
doubt  Madame  Grundy  has  us  booked  together  as 


46  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

romancers,  so  deeply  interested  in  each  other  that  we 
lost  our  way  in  a  two-acre  grove  through  which  we've 
rambled  since  its  trees  were  saplings,  and,  search  be- 
ing instituted,  were  found  aping  the  'Babes  in  the 
Woods'  under  a  coverlet  of  buff  leaves  indulging  in 
an  afternoon  siesta;  and  I  for  one  plead  not  guilty 
and  to-morrow  will  insert  a  card  in  the  papers  to  that 
effect  —  for  this  city's  fame  for  gossip  is  a  current 
topic  in  the  moon." 

Pearl  would  have  been  glad  could  her  story  have 
been  related  by  another  and  she  beyond  its  hearing. 
She  had  no  self-esteem  other  than  a  certain  nobleness 
of  dealing  with  herself  which  inspired  a  deference 
amounting  almost  to  the  homage  one  unconsciously 
bestows  upon  an  object  of  universal  sacredness;  nor 
would  she  deal  in  personalities.  The  record  of  her 
life  was  kept  as  one  would  keep  a  volume  choicely 
bound.  Its  leaves  were  never  to  be  turned  and  criti- 
cized, dog-eared  and  thumbed  by  hands  which  only 
minister  to  curious  eyes. 

Now  for  the  first  time,  Pearl  was  forced  to  speak  of 
herself  as  she  saw  the  false  light  in  which  she  stood 
before  Col.  and  Mrs.  Veen  and  all  the  grand,  great 
company  who  honored  Cecile's  birthday,  and  she 
trembled  visibly  as  she  began : 

"  Cecile  and  Stanley,  my  true  hearts,  I  only  did 
what  I  thought  right.  As  soon  as  strength  returned 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  47 

to  the  boy's  limbs  he  burst  into  an  uncontrollable  fit 
of  crying.  I  could  not  pacify  him  unless  I  took  him 
home;  so  I  promised  him  if  he  would  stop  crying  and 
be  a  brave  good  boy,  that  I  would  go  back  with  him 
to  the  fort,  get  the  surgeon  and  go  into  his  father's 
presence,  explaining  the  whole  affair,  and  so  ward  off 
the  '  terrible  licking '  he  insisted  was  in  preparation 
for  him ;  and  really,  I  saw  quite  a  respectable  wood- 
pile of  lithe  willow  sticks  all  trimmed,  which  the  boy 
assured  me  as  he  pointed  them  out  lying  by  the  door- 
step of  his  shanty,  '  were  all  to  be  broken  up  over 
him.' 

"I  luckily  was  able  to  do  a  little  more  by  way  of 
insuring  his  poor,  starved  looking  little  body  from 
abuse.  I  had  my  half-term's  tuition  money  from 
Ruby  Clark — received  last  night — and  I  gave  his 
father  the  amount,  telling  him  the  money  was  for  the 
boy's  great  service  to  the  country  in  securing,  as  he 
did  by  going  to  St.  Saul,  the  arrest  of  these  wicked 
men.  I  should  be  glad  to  know  the  sticks  I  saw  were 
burned,  and  no  others  to  be  gathered  for  such  inhu- 
man purposes,  for  the  child  looked  worthy  of  a  better 
fate  and  a  better  father. 

"  When  the  doctor  had  examined  the  woman  and 
given  her  medicine,  the  boy  was  left  in  charge,  and 
his  father  took  the  surgeon  to  the  fort  and  landed  me 
on  these  very  banks.  I  never  thought  of  the  time  ab- 


48  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

sorbed  in  this  unexpected  journey  of  mine;  nor  did  I 
flatter  myself  that  I  should  be  missed,  save  by  my 
own  dear  Cecile.  No  one  has  suffered  but  the  little 
boy. 

"It  makes  me  wretched  to  look  into  such  a  home- 
less home  as  his  is,  and  then  see  the  lavish  hand  of 
wealth  conferring  on  itself  these  superfluities  they 
rack  imagination  to  invent,  and  class  among  their 
wants." 

Stanley  and  Cecile  both  agreed  with  Pearl,  that 
when  the  privilege  of  handling  money  in  great  sums 
should  come  to  them,  the  world  would  be  lit  up  in  the 
dark  corners  first,  regardless  of  the  heartless  crowds 
who  sunned  themselves  by  centralizing  the  life  forced 
of  heaven's  commonwealth,  and  seizing  the  handmaid 
of  nature  to  warp  the  royal  purposes  of  God. 

Silence  fell  upon  the  trio  after  Pearl,  finishing  her 
story,  had  asked  Cecile' s  forgiveness  for  the  unpre- 
meditated anxiety  she  had  caused  her ;  and  now  while 
the  glories  of  the  setting  sun  are  framing  them  all,  as 
if  by  angelic  permission  in  sheets  of  golden  splendor, 
illuminating  each  pure  face  with  that  peculiar  spirit- 
ual light  which  only  now  and  then  irradiates  a  human 
countenance,  their  pictures  shall  be  given  in  true  word- 
painting.  If  the  world  had  been  searched  over  to 
find  three  models  of  physical  beauty,  each  in  graceful 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  49 

contrast  to  the  other,  the  selection  could  not  have 
been  more  pleasing  to  the  eye  of  an  artist. 

Stanley  Veen  was  just  twenty;  manly,  without  being 
coarsely  masculine  in  that  absolute  sense  which  would 
have  drawn  the  line  of  sex  too  strongly  to  admit  of 
that  exalted  companionship  existing  between  himself, 
his  sister  Cecile  and  Pearl  LaGrange.  The  tie  was 
so  inseparable  which  bound  the  three,  that  the  girls 
had  never  been  capable  of  leaving  Stanley  out  of  their 
fond  thoughts  of  each  other;  and  the  fact  of  his  being 
a  separate  entity,  in  any  shape  than  that  which  made 
them  all  individuals,  never  dawned  upon  their  minds. 
So  their  lives  flowed  on  as  peacefully  and  as  delight- 
edly as  the  union  of  three  singing  rivulets  in  one  all- 
beauteous  stream,  within  whose  clear  depths  the  hea- 
ven of  stars  lay  mirrored,  and  upon  whose  surface 
the  storms  of  life  have  never  beaten,  to  wash  down 
from  its  frowning  shores,  one  earth  stain,  one  dark 
shadow. 

Stanley  was  very  tall,  with  that  slenderness  which 
follows  rapid  growth,  yet  well  proportioned.  His  hair 
of  raven  blackness  in  its  abundance  did  not  conceal 
his  well  shaped  head  and  closely  chiseled  ears.  His 
forehead,  broad  with  its  reflected  forces,  introduced 
most  pleasingly  the  frank  face  with  its  brown,  Italian 
tint  and  fiery  dark  eyes.  There  was  an  impression  of 
power  and  strength — those  latent  forces  one  conceives 


50  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

of  shudderingly  in  looking  through  a  cage  which  holds 
a  sleeping  lion — in  scanning  closely  the  face  of  Stan- 
ley Veen.  Yet,  with  these  elements  of  moral  great- 
ness so  grand  in  manhood,  there  was  in  his  presence 
and  manner  and  in  his  rich  melodious  voice,  unmis- 
takable evidences  of  a  delicacy  and  refinement  in  soul- 
texture,  which  puzzled  greatly  the  true  analysis,  and 
left  one  always  doubting  if  they  knew  the  man.  Upon 
his  real  character  and  nobleness,  the  reader  shall  pass 
judgment  soon. 

Cecile,  his  sister,  shared  his  stronger  qualities  to  a 
degree  which  made  her  presence  a  magnet  of  power 
if  there  was  anything  to  be  decided  upon  demanding 
instant  action;  and  her  clear-sightedness  never  misled 
herself  or  her  friends. 

These  qualities  gave  both  sister  and  brother  that 
self-poise,  independence  and  correct  thinking  and  act- 
ing, which  are  the  necessary  concomitants  of  symet- 
rical  souls. 

Cecile' s  complexion  though  fairer  than  her  broth- 
er's was  not  pure  blonde,  but  had  a  marble  smooth- 
ness which  with  its  extreme  palor,  made  her  dark  eyes 
flash  with  starry  splendor,  and  the  choral  red  of  a 
most  perfect  mouth — a  very  Cupid's  bow — seemed 
formed  for  words  of  love  only;  and  when  they 
parted  in  merry  laughter,  it  was  like  the  opening  of  a 
ruby  casket  to  display  its  double  row  of  pearls.  If  the 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  51 

ripeness  of  her  lips  stirred  not  the  most  indifferent 
nature  to  its  depths,  her  smile  and  rippling  laughter 
were  positive  enhancement,  leaving  upon  the  beholder 
a  refreshing  sensation,  such  as  follows  the  quaffing  of 
some  health-giving  draught 

Her  hair  seemed  just  the  shade  of  Stanley's,  save 
when,  as  now,  set  shimmering  in  the  sun,  when  it  re- 
vealed its  gold  and  auburn  strands,  betraying  the  rich 
nature  and  warm  passions  of  the  soul. 

Col.  and  Mrs.  Veen  were  justly  proud  of  these  two 
children,  who  seemed  to  have  inherited  the  stronger, 
better  qualities  of  both,  only  in  greater  measure  than 
belonged  to  them  combined.  Wealth  courted,  and 
the  ruling  circles  of  fashion  claimed  them,  but  res- 
pectfully acknowledging  the  supremacy  of  both,  in  an 
ephemeral  sense,  they  were  controlled  by  neither,  but 
soared  above  as  eagles  may  in  a  flock  of  cawing  crows. 

Both  stood  heart-whole  against  the  fawning  briber- 
ies of  the  world,  yet  without  haughtiness — that  ele- 
ment of  snobbishness  which  erects  its  brainless  head, 
flaunts  its  pride-inflated  person  against  the  plainer 
skirts  of  good  society,  and  screams,  fish-woman  like, 
for  homage. 

It  would  have  pleased  the  mother  of  Cecile  and 
Stanley  Veen  if  they  had  toned  their  towering  aspi- 
rations somewhat  within  the  utmost  limits  of  her  tol- 
eration and  where  society  could  revolve  somewhere 


52  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

around  their  garment's  hem;  but  the  children  mani- 
fested wonderful  tact  in  avoiding  an  open  rebellion  by 
steering  clear  of  both  extremes,  and  holding  firmly  to 
the  middle  ground,  the  golden  mean  where  wisdom 
leads,  and  "all  her  paths  are  pleasantness  and  peace." 

Thus  had  they  grown  up  side  by  side  together,  and 
now  were  towers  of  strength.  They  won  their  fath- 
er's sympathy — their  mother's  awe. 

Pearl  LaGrange  was  heart  and  soul  their  counter- 
part, yet  with  none  of  the  moral  combative  element 
so  largely  developed  in  her  beloved  associates — the 
shining  qualities  which  were  so  soon  to  be  tried  for 
her  sake  in  that  fiery  crucible  which  never  fails  to  eli- 
minate solid  gold  from  sordid  brass. 

Pearl  was  a  mirror  of  sweet  innocence  and  loveliness, 
in  which  the  good  and  pure  and  true  and  child-confi- 
ding could  forever  see  themselves — finding  no  contra- 
diction, no  passion  plague-marks;  none  of  the  little 
festering  pimples  of  envy  and  jealousy;  no  conscious- 
ness of  being  anything  more  than  a  dutiful  daughter 
and  a  devoted  friend — ambitious  to  advance  herself 
and  to  carry  with  her  all  she  loved. 

To  say  that  she  was  beautiful  conveys  no  adequate 
expression  of  her  loveliness.  Her  presence  inspired 
the  most  elevated  sentiments  which  the  human  soul 
is  capable  of  entertaining.  There  was  a  complete- 
ness about  her  which  would  have  satisfied  the  most 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  53 

fastidious  devotees  of  beauty,  and  in  the  ripeness  of 
her  personal  charms  the  "  solid  curves  of  healthful 
strength  and  painless  nerves." 

Fair  skinned,  the  rich  bloom  of  her  cheeks  and  lips 
reminded  one  of  ripened  peaches  which  the  sun  and 
air  alone  had  toyed  with,  and  which  at  slightest  touch 
of  finger  tips,  would  shed  their  blooms  and  bathe  you 
in  their  velvet  atmosphere. 

Her  eyes  were  large,  full  orbed  and  never  to  be 
named  in  color;  but  changing  with  the  shades  of 
thought  and  feeling,  were  chamelion  windows  for  the 
soul  to  flash  unlanguaged  volumes  through — all  the 
pent  fountains  of  a  woman's  tenderness  and  tears; 
her  dreams,  her  worship  in  the  ideal  realms  of  human 
love  and  happiness;  the  spell  of  music,  poetry  and 
art;  a  most  unselfish  nature,  full  of  sacrificial  strength, 
silent  endurance — all  spiritual  emotions  which  like 
sunlight  on  clear  streams,  sparkle  the  heaven  of  wis- 
dom. 

Pearl's  hair  was  a  rich  chestnut,  warm  with  bronze 
gold  glintings  in  the  sun.  Glossy  and  waving,  it  had 
but  to  be  released  from  bondage  of  the  comb,  when  it 
would  fall  in  ringlets  to  her  belt. 

Her  form  just  matched  the  glory  of  her  eyes;  and 
in  the  faultless  features  of  her  face  the  stamp  of  an- 
gelhood still  lingered  as  though  on  guard,  to  say  to 
all  rude  gazers  and  skilled  wordlings  armed  with  f  ul- 


54  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

some  flatteries,  which  often  mask  unholy  purposes  at 
heart:  "If  you  would  worship  at  this  shrine  of  purity, 
shake  off  the  vulgar  dust  of  promiscuities;  wash  in 
those  waters  known  to  cleanse  from  sin.  The  temple 
of  a  woman's  honor  is  as  holy  as  God's  altar,  and  he 
who  would  profane  the  sacred  casket,  planned  for 
God's  begotten  germs  of  immortality,  first  desecrate 
the  altars  of  His  sanctuary,  that  the  descent  may  be 
less  shocking  to  His  wisdom's  ordering." 

As  in  a  garden  of  choice  shrubs  and  in  the  bloom 
of  roses,  there  is  to  the  trained  eye  room  for  selection, 
so  amid  a  multitude  of  women,  young  and  beautiful, 
Pearl  would  have  shown  resplendent,  the  ripe  color  of 
her  cheeks  and  lips  and  the  harmonious  blending  of  her 
simple  dress  and  gentle  manners,  making  her  a  queen 
among  the  regal  beauties  of  the  place,  from  the  crown 
of  her  Greek  head  to  the  soles  of  her  well  arched  feet. 

Slender,  yet  fully  developed,  and  with  an  air  of  vol- 
uptuous strength,  she  trod  the  earth  unconscious  of 
her  wealthy  womanhood. 

Yet  she  was  human  and  her  weakness  was  that  she 
had  love's  divine  capacities,  and  could  not  live,  no 
more  than  fountain  play  without  this  vitalizing  wine 
of  life. 

The  lovely  group  chatted  on  together  till  the  sun 
left  them  and  lingering  twilight  faded,  and  the  drop- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  55 

curtain  of  night  hung  portentiously  above  the  horizon's 
rim. 

As  the  bells  of  St.  Mark's  rang  out  for  vespers,  Pearl 
started,  leaped  to  her  feet  and  said: 

"  What!  Have  I  been  dreaming?  I  must  go  home 
instantly.  The  vesper  bells  never  found  me  away 
from  my  father  since  sweet  mother  died." 

"I  think  you  called  him  better  to-day,  did  you  not?" 
said  Stanley. 

"O  no!"  said  Pearl,  "he  has  bright  days,  but  he 
has  failed  most  signally  since  auntie  came." 

"Indeed!"  said  Cecile,  "I  am  sorry.  Poor  dear! 
He's  so  patient  too." 

"My  father! "said  Pearl.  "My  blessed  father! 
The  angel  of  patience  could  take  new  lessons  at  his 
bedside  daily." 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you  dear  Pearl?  Stanley  and 
I,  you  know,  can  come  at  any  time,"  said  Cecile. 

"Nothing!"  said  Pearl.  "The  doctor  told  papa 
yesterday  he  had  exhausted  every  remedy  and  he  must 
now  look  to  the  Physician  of  Souls." 

"  But  we  must  help  you  Pearl;  and  we  shall  by  dint 
of  anticipating  your  needs,  if  you  will  not  command 
us." 

"Love  me,"  said  Pearl,  "for  when  my  father  is 
gone,  all  of  us  are  in  Heaven  but  me.  Good  night." 


56  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"Good  night  sweet  angel,"  said  Cecile.  "  The 
heaven  reserved  for  you  is  the  heaven  I'm  aiming 
for." 

"  The  day  was  done  and  the  darkness 

Fell  from  the  wings  of  night, 

As  a  feather  is  wafted  downward 

From  an  eagle  in  his  flight." 


CHAPTEK  V. 

Home!  The  spared  jewel  of  lost  Paradise! 

How  is  the  pure  gold  of  thy  setting  marred, 
When  love  her  absence  fills  with  the  disguise 

Of  broken  images,  defaced,  and  scarred! 

The  hour  is  midnight,  intensly  chill — with  dashes  of 
sharp  sleet  driven  before  the  wintry  blasts. 

The  streets,  under  a  deep  fall  of  snow,  sparkle  and 
shimmer  like  shivering  life  beneath  a  winding  sheet. 

A  wild  and  crazy  night,  when  the  lulls  in  the  storm 
seem  even  more  pitiless  and  dreary  along  the  life- 
deserted  avenues  than  the  wild  paroxysms  of  unrest 
now  lashing  into  a  passionate  fury  of  wailing  and 
weeping  and  anon  suddenly  dashing  out  into  the 
abysmal  recesses  of  darkness  leaving  an  emptiness  of 
sound  which  fills  one  with  a  sense  of  the  vastness  of 
atmosphere  beyond  the  encircling  breath  of  silent 
ether. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  57 

It  was  a  night  to  make  home-loving  hearts  thankful 
for  blazing  hearth,  and  sideboard  cheer. 

Vainly  the  storm  hurled  its  missiles  of  hail  and 
dashed  its  mighty  gusts  of  wind  against  the  solid 
casements  of  the  rich.  It  only  made  weird  music 
in  the  wakeful  poet's  soul  or  rocked  in  slumbers  more 
profound  the  peaceful  sleepers  who  occupied  their 
silken  couches  and  passed  the  hours  in  dreamless  rest; 
and  yet,  dear  reader — if  you  have  tasted  life  and  have 
not  realized  that  wealth  and  poverty  are  relative  terms; 
that  one  man's  affluence  may  be  another's  penury  and 
that  the  choicest  gathering  of  treasures,  the  most 
skilled  'outlay  of  \vealth  in  visible  surroundings  of 
pomp  and  grandeur  may  hide  but  stalking  skeletons 
of  abject  misery, — presenting  so  many  rasping  mock- 
eries to  the  slow  death  of  their  life-imprisoned  in- 
mates,— you  have  seen  little  of  the  inner  and  real 
experiences  of  this  two-fold  existence  of  ours  end 
reasoned  less  upon  its  infinite  dissimilarities  and 
phases. 

But  the  night  is  too  inclement  to  parley  longer 
within  its  freezing  altitudes. 

The  solitary  figure  of  a  man  bravely  facing  the 
elements  on  such  a  night  and  at  such  an  hour,  and 
threading  the  more  retired  and  palatial  aisles  of  St. 
Saul  justifies  our  pursuit  at  a  respectful  distance. 

With  quick  elastic  steps,  leaving   Prospect  avenue 


58  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

behind  him,  he  passes  through  the  pillared  gateway 
and  into  the  spaeious  grounds  of  Terrace  Hill.  Solid 
walls  of  snow  flank  the  marble  walks  leading  to  the 
castle  which  stands  grandly  distant  looming  in  solemn 
splendor  and  ghost-like  as  an  isolated  tomb  amid  tall 
naked  forest  trees. 

The  winds  have  swept  the  marble  staircase  clean. 
Introducing  his  night-key,  the  massive  carvings  of  the 
rosewood  entrance  part,  and,  making  ingress  with 
him  we  will  share  for  the  remainder  of  the  night  the 
courtesies  tacitly  conceded  an  invisible  guest. 

The  hall  is  roomy;  the  ceiling  lofty  and  richly  de- 
corated. On  either  side  are  marble  busts  of  the 
greatest  men  of  the  Roman  world.  The  furniture  of 
the  entire  ground  floor  is  antique  in  style  and  in  its 
elegant  simplicity  and  harmony  with  the  architecture 
of  the  building  would  honor  the  abode  of  a  Roman 
emperor. 

Ungloving  his  small  white  hands  and  raising  the 
gas  jet  to  a  generous  blaze,  the  man  proceeded  to  re- 
move his  outer  wrappings  in  their  stratified  order  for 
he  was  closely  enveloped  in  fur,  from  the  sole  of  his 
aristocratic  foot,  to  the  crown  of  his  Napoleonic  head 
and  only  his  eyes  had  been  exposed  in  the  trip  from 
his  office  door  to  his  home. 

At  last  the  arctic  outfit  being  entirely  removed  the 
fine  presence  of  Governor  Cassius  Kellogg  presents 
itself  for  the  reader's  inspection. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  59 

Tall,  proudly  erect  and  perfectly  proportioned  with 
just  the  slightest  hint  of  embonpoint,  sufficient  to 
arrest  the  tendency  of  any  abruptness  in  outline  the 
Governor  in  review  impresses  one  as  a  host  within 
himself. 

His  dress  is  rich  though  simple.  The  deep  and 
meditative  stillness  of  the  dark  eyes,  the  endless  good 
feeling  and  friendliness  in  the  lines  of  the  handsome 
mouth,  as  well  as  the  air  of  culture  about  the  whole 
man,  has  an  effect  upon  you  harmonizing  exactly  with 
the  impression  made  by  the  appearance  of  the  abode 
just  entered. 

Before  his  official  distinction,  Cassius  Kellogg  had 
won  laurels  as  a  jurist,  was  a  brilliant  orator  and  had 
made  some  notable  accessions  to  the  classic  literature 
of  the  day. 

While  but  a  callow  youth  he  became  matrimonially 
inveigled,  as  many  equally  brilliant  men  before  him 
have  (as  many  gifted  men  who  come  after  him  are 
likely  to  be),  by  being  thrown  unguardedly  into  the 
society  of  older  and  experienced  women,  rendered  ex- 
pert in  carving  out  their  destinies — as  are  all  gradu- 
ates from  the  school  of  divorce. 

No  fond  ear  was  listening  for  his  step,  no  voice 
greeted  him  at  the  threshold;  no  encircling  arms,  no 
salutation  kisses — these  most  natural  and  grateful  at- 
tentions due  a  man  of  genius  and  heart,  and  which 


60  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

ever  bespeak  the  loving  appreciation  of  a  worthy  com- 
panionship and  trust. 

Silence  and  silence  only  was  his  welcome  home. 
Even  the  fire  had  burned  to  ashes  in  the  grate,  and 
the  stillness  and  coldness  of  death  had  settled  upon 
every  inanimate  appointment  of  luxury  and  comfort. 
Those  household  gods  instinctive  with  lif  e,and  so  many 
ministering  agencies  of  delight  in  the  willing  hands 
of  tireless  love,  looked  down  upon  this  weary  man, 
pitiful  and  neglected  as  themselves,  from  their  shad- 
owy niches  veiled  in  cobwebs  and  dimmed  with  dust. 

Was  the  palace  empty?  No!  Except  of  love!  In 
her  flower-lined  boudoir,  under  a  canopy  of  lace,  on 
satin  pillows,  slumbered  the  nominal  wife  of  this 
lonely  man. 

We  will  not  awaken  her.  The  process  would  be  too 
tedious  and  discouraging,  and  the  advantages  of  an 
introduction  under  the  happy  spell  of  Morpheus  must 
compensate  for  the  informality  and  discourtesy  of 
entering  a  lady's  bedchamber  during  the  small  hours 
of  a  winter  morning  and  when  that  lady  is  locked  in 
profound  slumber. 

Hector  Kellogg  was  eight  years  the  senior  of  her 
husband,  and  yet  more  advanced  in  that  knowledge 
of  the  world  which  ages  and  scars  both  soul  and  body. 

She  lived  a  dual  existence.  One  side — her  better- 
was  presented  to  the  world;  the  other — her  worst — 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  (51 

always  with  her,  though  masked  for  occasions — she 
resumed  in  the  home,  with  certain  embellishments  of 
detail,  such  as  is  developed  in  the  wasp,  upon  the  es- 
tablishment of  personal  familiarities. 

Gross  and  plethoric  with  high  living,  dull  and  brain- 
less and  empty-headed,  she  slept  as  profoundly  as  the 
blaze  of  her  extinguished  night  lamp,  and  as  thought- 
lessly and  soullessly  as  the  china  mug  on  the  hearth 
rug.  The  steps  over  the  staircase  that  passed  her  door 
disturbed  her  not.  There  was  not  a  sensitive  nerve 
nor  an  affectional  link  which  put  her  en  rapport 
with  sentient  life  anywhere. 

She  loved  ease  and  luxury,  laces  and  diamonds  and 
could  yawn  out  orders  to  the  servants  and  complaints 
to  her  husband  and  was  mortally  jealous  of  every  spe- 
cimen of  feminine  loveliness  in  youthful  guise  who 
crossed  her  flowery  pathway. 

There  is  a  familiar  proverb  that  "  love  is  full  of 
jealousy."  In  this  case  the  proverb  was  not  applica- 
ble, as  the  image  of  love  was  broken — leaving  jealousy 
alone  intact. 

Devoid  of  affection  and  too  coarse  and  stolid  for 
sentiment,  the  wife  of  Governor  Kellogg  indulged 
her  jealousies  from  a  sort  of  fiendish  selfishness  and 
dog-in-the-manger  gluttonness,  to  monopolize  and  ap- 
propriate everything  the  law  gave  in  possession, 
whether  it  suited  her  needs  or  not. 


62  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Obtuse  and  inert  mentally  she  exhibited  an  amount 
of  energy  and  bestial  cunning  in  conducting  her  social 
intrigues  and  shrewdness  in  the  concealment  of  her 
cloven-footed  motives  therein,  which  kept  her  ever 
upon  the  alert,  lest  inadvertently,  she  should  compro- 
mise her  own  position  in  her  eagerness  to  unsettle 
another's 

To  say  this  woman  had  no  redeeming  traits  of 
character  would  be  subscribing  to  the  horrible  belief 
in  "total  depravity." 

She  lived  as  many  of  the  children  of  wealth  and 
vanity  do,  upon  a  purely  animal  plane  and  the  spirit- 
ual side  of  her  nature — so  indispensable  in  the  bal- 
ance of  all  true  womanhood — was  darkened  (let  us 
hope  not  lost. ) 

Her  associations  were  similar  in  type  and  mental- 
ity with  herself.  Her  masculine  strength  was  matched 
by  powerful  influential  qualities  amounting  to  absol- 
ute magnetism  while  her  position,  as  the  wife  of  Gov- 
ernor Kellogg  gave  her  the  leading  role  in  a  "society" 
whose  polished  corner  stone  was  wealth  and  snobbery 
and  whose  rule  was  nothing  less  than  civil  despotism. 

Growing  wider  and  wider  apart  daily,  the  uplifting 
companionship  of  her  husband — of  which  she  might 
have  availed  herself — was  without  effect  upon  her. 

It  was  impossible  for  refined  and  unsuspicious 
natures  like  Cassius  Kellogg  to  appreciate  or  antici- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  63 

pate  the  capacities  for  ruin  which  crouched  like  a  lion 
in  its  lair,  when  this  woman  reclined  upon  her  downy 
couch.  He  felt  the  chains  of  the  law  which  bound 
him  to  her,  but  his  official  duties  and  the  congenial 
associates  of  his  profession  kept  him  in  an  orbit  of 
his  own;  while  his  wife  with  her  nebulous  retinue, 
trailed  the  earth-edges  of  the  horizon  below. 

Morning  broke  over  the  city,  clear  and  gloriously 
bright.  The  Governor  upon  entering  the  dining-room 
at  an  early  hour  observed  a  note  addressed  to  his  wife 
with  the  underscored  words  in  the  corner  of  the  en- 
velope :  "In  death  haste." 

Thinking  this  justified  his  breaking  the  seal  before 
disturbing  his  wife  and  perhaps  thus  sparing  her  the 
rude  shock  of  its  contents  he  hastily  tore  the  wrapper, 
and  read: 

MRS.  Gov.  KELLOGG — 

Honored  Lady: 

You  will  perhaps  pardon 

another  intrusion  upon  your  ladyship's  time  and  at- 
tention regarding  the  terrible  scandal  connected  with 
the  loss  of  a  $100.00  note  at  the  Governor's  mansion 
a  little  more  than  one  year  ago,  when  I  tell  you  my 
daughter  is  dying  and  implores  me  to  make  this  last 
appeal  for  justice  at  your  hands.  Since  the  affair 
gained  notoriety,  Celia  has  been  able  to  earn  but  lit- 
tle, save  solicited  work  among  strangers.  Had  you 
mercifully  spared  my  poor  girl's  name  withholding 


64  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

your  suspicions  from  the  public  until  thorough  search 
had  been  made  (or  accepted  her  proposition  to  restore 
the  money  to  you  as  she  earned  and  was  able  to  spare 
it  from  her  living  expenses,)  gladly  would  she  have 
rewarded  you  with  the  free  labor  of  her  hands.  The 
withdrawal  of  confidence  and  the  published  account 
of  her  disgrace  bandied  from  lip  to  lip  in  families 
whose  patronage  had  been  her  support  and  the  sup- 
port of  her  aged  mother  entirely  crushed  her. 

The  French  modiste,  recently  in  your  employ,  as- 
sured me  she  had  found  the  note  (embedded  in  dust, 
yet  unhurt)  behind  your  marble  dresser. 

In  the  name  of  humanity's  God,  and  as  you  value 
your  immortal  soul,  I  beseech  you  to  exonerate  her 
now — if  peradventure  it  be  not  too  late  to  bring  her 
back  to  life.  A  simple  word  declaring  her  innocence 
— which  I  can  read  to  her  upon  her  return  to  conscious- 
ness— is  all  I  ask.  Oh  grant  it,  that  her  death  may 
not  rest  like  a  shadow  upon  your  happy  threshold! 

In  distress  I  am 

Tour  obedient  servant, 

HANNAH  WARD. 

The  Governor  stood  as  if  riveted  to  the  spot  for 
some  moments  and  an  expression  of  pain  passed  over 
his  fine  face  and  trembled  upon  his  sensitive  lips. 

"Poor,  innocent  girl!"  said  he. — "I  wonder  how 
many  more  struggling  victims  like  her  are  dangling 
upon  the  end  of  Society's  uplifted  pitchfork  ready  to 
be  dashed  into  the  Hades  of  disreputable  rubbish,  at 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  65 

a  given  caterwaul  from  Madame  Grundy's  elect  par- 
agons— severely  virtuous  and  severely  ugly.  This 
persecution  bears  investigation.  The  girl  is  pretty 
and  youthful,  which  is  ample  testimony  for  her  con- 
viction of  any  and  all  crimes  in  the  decalogue  with 
that  trio  of  old  maids  over  the  way — and  the  Madame 
too,  if  I  mistake  not."  Ringing  the  bell  for  the 
chambermaid,  the  Governor  pushed  the  note  under 
his  plate  and  drew  up  to  the  breakfast  table. 

"Mary,"  said  the  Governor,  "tell  Mrs.  Kellogg  I 
wish  to  see  her  on  particular  business  before  I  go  to 
the  Capitol.  If  she  will  postpone  the  details  of  her 
toilet,  and  breakfast  with  me  this  morning,  I  will 
greatly  appreciate  it." 

The  servant  disappeared  with  the  unusual  request, 
and  Mrs.  Kellogg  and  the  breakfast  were  announced 
together. 

Holding  out  the  note  to  his  wife  and  explaining  his 
motives  in  its  interception,  the  Governor  watched  her 
countenance  closely,  which  paled  and  flamed  alter- 
nately as  she  perused  the  touching  appeal. 

The  feelings  uppermost  in  her  heart  and  visibly 
portrayed  in  her  changing  color,  were  entirely  those 
of  disappointment  and  rage,  that  the  letter  should 
have  fallen  into  her  husband's  hands,  and  with  it,  one 
of  her  society  escapades,  which  she  supposed  strangled 
and  disposed  of  eternally. 


66  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  The  ridiculous  thing!  "  said  Mrs.  Kellogg.  "  The 
idea,  that  I  should  identify  the  discovered  bank  note 
from  underneath  my  dresser,  as  the  money  lost  one 
year  ago,  which  I  am  positive  Celia  Ward  niched  from 
my  pocketbook  lying  on  my  bureau,  the  last  day  she 
sewed  for  me." 

"  It  was  the  same  denomination,  I  believe,  was  it 
not?"  quietly  asked  the  Governor. 

"  Yes ;  but  that  fact  establishes  nothing!"  retorted 
Mrs.  Kellogg,  with  a  wanton  toss  of  her  head. 

"  It  strikes  me  further "  said  the  Governor,  "  that 
this  room  in  which  the  bill  has  just  been  recovered  by 
the  French  dressmaker,  lias  not  been  occupied  by 
either  of  us  till  you  returned  to  it  on  the  day  prior  to 
the  finding  of  the  money — not  since  Celia  Ward  pre- 
pared your  wardrobe  for  Washington.  Do  not  do 
such  great  discredit  to  your  memory.  The  Ward  fam- 
ily are  poor,  but  I  believe  highly  respectable.  I  think 
it  would  be  better  to  give  the  poor  girl  the  life-lease 
she  is  yearning  for.  It  will  only  be  rectifying  a  cruel 
wrong,  and  as  my  wife  I  request  you  to  do  this  at 
once,  and  I  will  post  it  on  my  way  down  town." 

"Never!  Let  the  girl  die!  The  affair  is  none  of 
mine.  I  should  look  well  going  around  among  my 
friends  and  posting  hills  for  her  reinstatement.  She 
belongs  to  a  notorious  class  of  painted  courtesans 
kept  by— 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  67 

"No,  no!  You  cannot  fasten  another  crime  upon 
this  defenseless  girl  who  never  wronged  you!  I  knew 
her  father,  and  I  know  the  widow  Ward,  and  I  will 
defend  her  purity  against  all  your  society  slanders." 
And  the  Governor  arose  and  paced  the  floor  excitedly. 

"  Write  the  note  at  once  as  I  dictate,  or  I'll  close 
my  doors  upon  this  '  bon  ton  society '  of  yours  and 
expose  its  hollowness  and  professional  intriguing  from 
A  to  izzard.  It  is  a  banded  aristocracy  of  homely 
ill-shaped  women,  crusaders  upon  beauty,  loveliness 
and  innocence."  And  the  Governor,  pale  with  passion, 
rang  for  the  servant. 

"  Tell  Charlie  to  come  to  me  at  once,"  and  turning 
to  his  wife  he  said: 

"  Make  haste  Madame,  and  repair  this  wrong  before 
death  makes  the  effort  futile.  The  foul  slander  has 
hung  about  your  skirts  so  long  that  the  castle  smells 
of  rotting  corpses!  Here,  I'll  write  the  affidavit  for 
your  full  signature.  Read  this  and  sign.  I  dare  not 
trust  your  pen  to  copy  truth !  It  is  as  dead  a  lang- 
uage on  your  tongue,  as  love-smiles  on  your  lips." 

The  woman  uttered  not  an  extenuating  word.  Si- 
lently, and  like  a  statue  she  obeyed  the  man  whose 
frown  made  her  very  soul  tremble.  Her  name  affixed 
she  withdrew,  and  the  Governor's  coachman  appear- 
ing, the  note  was  sealed  and  directed  in  the  Gover- 
nor's official  envelope. 


68  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  Take  one  of  the  horses  and  carry  this  note  to  No. 
30  Kirk  street.  It  is  well  in  the  suburbs.  You  will 
bring  back  an  answer,  so  dismount  and  warm  your- 
self." 

The  boy  disappeared  and  the  door  bell  rang.  The 
Governor's  perturbed  state  of  mind  caused  him  to  or- 
der the  girl  from  his  presence  and  answer  the  bell  in 
person.  It  was  the  postman,  and  among  his  letters 
was  one  bearing  a  foreign  stamp.  It  read  as  follows: 

"To  THE  HON.  CASSIUS  KELLOGG, 

St.  Saul,  U.  S.  A, 
Dear  Sir: 

In  one  of  our  western  exchanges  I  noticed  some 
time  ago  an  advertisement,  dated  from  the  Executive 
Chamber  at  St  Saul,  offering  a  reward  for  informa- 
tion concerning  the  young  girl  who  so  miraculously 
and  bravely  saved  the  lives  of  the  Governor  and  his 
lady,  and  a  young  stranger,  but  who  disappeared  from 
that  moment  and  eluded  further  publicity.  As  my 
beloved  son,  Hugh  Carlisle,  is  the  stranger  alluded  to, 
I  have  taken  no  little  pains  to  ascertain  the  identity 
of  the  fair  heroine  whose  modesty  was  only  equaled  by 
her  courage,  and  I  have  the  honor  of  transmitting  you 
her  name  just  obtained  after  a  year's  industrious  ef- 
fort. 

I  am  sir,  with  high  respect, 

Yours  very  truly, 

Louis  CARLISLE,  M.  D. 

Stratford,  Ontario,  Can. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  69 

At  this  juncture  Mrs.  Kellogg  came  into  the  library, 
and  passing  her  husband  who  seemed  absorbed  with 
the  contents  of  a  letter  spread  out  before  him,  stooped 
and  picked  from  the  carpet  by  his  chair,  a  card  unob- 
served, and  disappeared  with  it  through  the  library 
door. 

"Well,  this  is  surely  a  most  extraordinary  letter! 
If  it  were  the  first  day  of  April  I  would  consider  my- 
self the  best  fooled  man  in  America,"  said  the  Gover- 
nor aloud  as  he  sank  into  an  easy  chair  to  await  the 
messenger. 

After  a  lapse  of  thirty  minutes  in  which  the  Gov- 
ernor was  occupied  vainly  endeavoring  to  solve  the 
mystery,  the  library  door  again  opened  and  Charlie 
appeared  with  a  note  from  Mrs.  Ward,  thanking  the 
Governor  and  his  lady,  but  regretting  the  coveted 
words  should  have  come  too  late  to  save  the  life  of  her 
child  who  had  just  expired.  However,  the  note  should 
be  laid  upon  her  bosom  that  all  might  know  that  she 
died  above  reproach. 

Stanley  Veen  was  here  announced,  and  being  shown 
into  the  library  drew  his  chair  close  to  the  Governor's, 
and  taking  a  small  package  from  the  inside  pocket  of 
his  coat,  proceeded  to  unwrap  it  very  carefully. 

"To-day  is  a  day  of  surprises,"  said  the  Governor. 
"  What  have  you  brought  me  ?  Some  more  geologi- 
cal specimens  I  suppose.  You  have  really  contribu- 


70  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

ted  some  of  the  finest  fossils  I  have  in  my  collection. 

"  I  have  something  entirely  different  to  offer  you  to- 
day my  dear  Governor,  and  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life  I  am  a  peddler  of  choice  goods,  something  in  the 
line  of  real  gems  such  as  your  wife  has  a  decided  pen- 
chant for,  and  which  an  indulgent  husband  like  your- 
self, will  delight  to  purchase  for  her  I  know." 

"  Why,  my  dear  boy,  when  did  you  adandon  the 
study  of  your  profession  to  become  a  jewel  merchant?  " 

"  If  you  are  too  curious,"  said  Stanley,  "  I  shall 
take  them  where  no  questions  will  be  asked." 

"Ah!  Then  they  are  smuggled  goods,"  said  Gov- 
ernor Kellogg  playfully. 

"  They  are  nothing  of  the  kind,"  said  Stanley,  un- 
locking an  elegant  plush  casket  and  exposing  a  satin 
lined  tray  upon  whose  gorgeous  tinted  ground  a  su- 
perb set  of  diamonds  and  opals  flashed  forth  like  a  re- 
gal coronet  nestling  within  the  velvet  heart  of  a  rose. 

"Dazzling!"  said  the  Governor.  "They  look  as 
though  they  had  never  seen  the  light  before,  and 
might  devour  and  reflect  its  rays  till  the  atmosphere 
exhausted  itself  in  keeping  up  the  exchange  of  bril- 
liant courtesies." 

"  They  are  beautiful,"  said  Stanley,  "and  they  are 
for  sale.  How  much  will  you  bid  on  them." 

"  Really,  one  has  to  feel  amiable  to  purchase  luxu- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  71 

ries,  and  niy  mood  is  a  most  unhappy  one  to-day," 
said  the  Governor. 

"  Then  see  here,  dear  Governor,  these  jewels  must 
be  sold  to-night.  Suppose  I  leave  them  with  you,  and 
you  advance  a  sum  upon  them  ?  I  do  assure  you  that 
my  object  in  asking  this  favor  is  in  every  way  worthy 
your  acquiesence." 

"  I  doubt  it  not,  dear  Stanley.  I  would  give  much 
more  than  the  price  of  these  diamonds  to  solve  a  mys- 
tery, now  hunting  me  like  the  ghost  of  some  restless 
grave-yard  sleeper.  To  whom  do  I  owe  my  own  life 
and  the  Madame's?  For  that  day  both  seemed 
doomed  to  a  violent  death  but  for  the  intercession  of 
an  unknown  hand?  Not  to  our  guardian*  angels', 
surely!  miraculous  as  the  rescue  was;  for  more  than 
a  hundred  eyes  distinguished  the  form  of  a  young 
girl  afterwards  lost  in  the  crowds  who  flocked  around 
us." 

Stanley's  face  flushed,  observing  which  the  Gov- 
ernor immediately  followed  up  the  clew  by  saying: 

"  Stanley  Veen !  If  this  secret  which  has  cocked 
every  ear  in  St.  Saul  and  baffled  the  ferreting  noses 
of  the  three  old  spinsters  over  the  way,  is  in  your  pos- 
session and  the  heroine  is  obscure  in  name  and  po- 
sition, you  wrong  the  best  instincts  of  your  noble 
charities  to  keep  back  the  deserved  reward." 

"  Governor,  I  beg  you  not  to  deem  me  all  ungrate- 


72  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

ful  for  your  valued  kindnesses,  advice  and  rare  com- 
panionship, if  I  refuse,  point  blank,  to  give  the  name 
of  the  modest  angel — for  she  is  more  than  human — 
who  was  God's  instrument  in  saving  our  beloved  Gov- 
ernor and  his  good  lady.  Some  time  I  may  tell  you 
all  that  I'm  pledged  to  keep  inviolate  to-day." 

"Ah!  Then  the  name  and  jewels  are  not  strangers 
to  each  other.  It  is  well !  Here  is  enough  to  keep  out 
hungry  wolves  from  any  door  and  in  these  times,  God 
knows  the  poor  must  suffer  bitterly,"  said  Governor 
Kellogg,  as  he  placed  in  Stanley's  hands  a  roll  of  bills, 

Stanley's  starry  eyes  fairly  danced  with  joy  and 
gratitude,  and  the  moisture  of  glad  tears  gemmed  their 
long  lashes  as  he  proudly  and  carefully  folded  the  new 
bills,  placed  them  in  a  sealed  envelope  and  tucked  them 
into  the  depths  of  the  pocket  which  had  been  but  a 
few  minutes  before  the  repository  for  the  casket  of 
jewels,  and  his  voice  trembled  perceptibly  as  he  ex- 
tended his  hand  and  said: 

"  O  how  I  thank  you,  good,  dear  Governor!  Yes, 
from  my  heart,  I  thank  you.  The  jewels  are  all  yours. 
I  could  not  ask  for  more!  And  for  the  blessings  you 
unconsciously  confer  in  this  transaction  may  God's 
faithful  witnesses  make  full  recompense!  "Tis  safe 
to  trust  to  Heaven  the  debt  reserved  for  Heaven  alone 
to  pay!" 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  73 

"  No  thanks,  my  boy.  My  prayer  is  answered  well. 
I  should  not  like  to  see  the  sun  set  on  to-day  as  on  a 
common  day  of  office  toil  to  me,  unless  I  felt  I  had 
in  some  small  way  made  one  of  God's  poor  wretches 
the  happier  for  my  living.  Good  bye !  Give  your  fair 
sister  and  your  mother  my  best  compliments,  and 
come  again  when  you  have  kindred  missions  to  ful- 
fill; for  in  the  grove  of  selfish  aims,  one  quite  loses 
sight  of  the  beatitudes  of  grace  and  charity.  It  makes 
one  live  again  in  the  true  sense  to  breathe  the  pure  air 
scenting  these  good  memories  which  you  have  brought 
me.  Really  I'm  glad  my  official  labors  are  so  soon 
to  end.  The  work  is  onerous  and  restoration  to  my 
profession  looks  second  only  to  the  reservation  of  a 
place  in  Heaven  to  me." 

"  But  you  forget.  Another  term  awaits  the  State's 
good  Governor,  beloved  of  all!" 

"  Never!  "  said  Kellogg.  "  My  name  is  in  advance 
withdrawn,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  forever  shuts  out 
all  controversy.  Goodnight,"  and  Stanley  Veen  passed 
out  as  though  his  feet  were  winged  and  floated  him. 
Not  once  (as  was  his  wont)  glancing  upon  picture  or 
statue  framing  his  rich  path  through  the  grand  draw- 
ing-rooms. On  to  the  hall  he  passed,  the  glad  light  in 
his  eyes  emitting  sparks  like  some  charged  battery. 

Quickly  donning  overcoat  and  hat  he  walked  rapidly 


74  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

down  the  avenue  and  disappeared  in  the  direction  of 
the  LaGrange  cottage. 

Hector  Kellogg  upon  reaching  her  room  took  the 
card  from  her  bosom,  where  she  had  hastily  thrust  it 
on  discovering  its  noiseless  fall  upon  the  tufted 
floor  at  the  side  of  her  husband's  chair,  in  the  open- 
ing of  Dr.  Carlisle's  letter.  Her  mad  jealousy  only 
wanted  a  hint  here  and  there  out  of  which  to  weave 
her  dark  machinations  and  torture  the  home-life  of 
her  husband — imaginary  horrors  which  fruit  in  the 
idle  convolutions  of  a  sterile  brain,  and  upon  which 
vicious  and  animal  natures  gloat  and  feed. 

She  found  it  now,  and  was  angered  and  chagrined 
with  herself  that  the  source  was  entirely  unanticipated. 

Ashen  shadows  chased  each  other  over  her  dusky 
face — frightfully  corrugated  and  transformed  with 
rage — such  colors  as  pass,  wave-like  over  snakes  when 
winding  their  coil  for  a  deadly  spring.  Her  eyelids 
contracted  and  quivered,  and  glints  shot,  lizard-like 
from  their  dilated  pupils,  and  through  her  teeth  she 
fairly  hissed  the  name  (painstakingly  written  upon 
an  embossed  white  card)  "Pearl  LaGrange!  " 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  75 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Alone!  Her  soul  took  refuge  in  its  God, 
And  the  three  angels  lent  her  innocence — 

Truth,  love  and  purity — with  these  she  trod 
Where  honor  led,  and  wrought  its  own  defense! 

The  curtains  were  drawn  at  the  LaGrange  cottage 
and  the  house  looked  asleep  and  deserted.  As  the 
yard  was  very  small  the  gate  only  swung  open  upon 
a  little  vestibule  of  earth — the  merest  margin  of  pro- 
tection against  the  turning  of  the  white  door  knob, 
and  ingress  through  its  casement  from  the  street. 

The  look  of  gloom  and  desertion  so  changed  the  ex- 
terior of  this  humble  domicile,  that  passing  strangers 
who  had  been  in  the  habit  of  taking  in  the  fresh, 
sweet  picture  of  its  window- garden  blooms  from  the 
street,  looked  wonderingly  towards  the  closely  drawn 
curtains  and  the  apparent  absence  of  all  life  within. 

Homes  are  the  earth  centers  of  the  universe — around 
which  revolve  in  their  celestial  order — as  planets 
wheel  around  the  sun — the  heart-graces  and  sacred 
affections  of  the  human  soul. 

No  home  is  so  humble,  so  circumscribed  by  the 
limits  of  poverty  as  to  shut  out  the  domestic  joys  of 
Eden  or  cut  off  its  inmates  from  fellowship  with  the 
angel  world;  indeed  the  domestic  relationships  of  the 
poor  are  proverbially  happier  and  there  is  less  in- 


76  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

fidelity  and  family  wretchedness  to  contend  with  in 
its  rank,  than  is  found  elsewhere. 

But  there  is  one  guest  whose  unwelcome  presence 
is  alike  manifest  in  the  homes  of  both  wealth  and 
poverty;  who  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  One  who 
comes  omitting  the  civilities  of  a  ring  at  the  portal; 
whom  we  would  gladly  bar  out  could  mortal  hand 
forge  bolt  or  bar  sufficient. 

There  were  sincere  lives,  and  true  devoted  piety  to 
be  found  among  the  inmates  of  theLaGrange  cottage; 
and  now,  as  one  of  its  number  was  hovering  upon  the 
threshold  of  the  two  worlds  its  visible  doors  seemed 
opening  out  into  the  invisible  gardens  of  God! 

For  weeks  the  life  of  Robert  LaGrange  had  hung 
upon  a  thread  and  the  shaded  lamp  had  burned  the 
long  night  vigils  through.  The  aged  sister  and  the 
devoted  daughter  now  never  left  his  bedside. 

Though  Cecile  and  Stanley,  her  noble  friends,  stood 
ever  ready  to  relieve  her  in  the  watch,  the  yearning 
love  and  tender  anxieties  of  Pearl,  lest  her  father 
should  die  at  an  unexpected  moment,  kept  her  ever  in 
his  presence. 

Since  her  father  had  given  up  his  chair  at  the  front 
window  Pearl  had  not  left  the  house.  To  surround 
the  sick  man  with  the  best  influences  and  most  cheer- 
ful within  the  province  of  the  humble  tenement  to 
offer,  his  couch  had  been  moved  out  of  the  little 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  77 

bed-room  into  the  one  only  commodious  apartment 
of  the  cottage,  and  so  located  as  to  command  a  perfect 
view  of  the  busy  thoroughfares. 

Through  its  sunny  south  windows  he  could  see  the 
gay  world  as  it  whirled  by  in  the  gilded  trappings  of 
wealth  and  fashion.  A  panoramic  view  of  which  the 
old  time  mirror  gave  back  reflectively,  when  his  eyes 
weary  of  the  light,  turned  toward  the  solid  casement. 

The  deep  window  seats  were  literally  banked  with 
flowers  from  among  which  delicate  vines  shot  out  and 
met  in  airy  drapery  above  a  life  size  portrait  in  oil  of 
Pearl's  sweet  mother,  Annie  Boyd  LaGrange. 

There  was  something  indescribably  pensive  in  the 
expression  of  the  face  of  the  picture,  and  to  Pearl's 
poetical  imagination  it  answered  her  in  all  her  moods. 
In  gazing  upon  it  she  wandered  off  into  space,  follow- 
ing the  lead  of  her  fancies  as  she  traced  the  beauty 
paths  through  which  her  mother  walked  in  paradise, 
and  clothed  her  in  the  robes  fit  only  for  her  angel 
loveliness  to  wear. 

The  picture  had  jiot  robbed  her  of  that  spirituality 
of  expression,  lost  sight  of  by  some  artists  in  their  too 
accurate  lines  for  the  delineations  of  beauty  alone. 
The  face  was  the  embodiment  of  youthful  vivacity 
and  gentleness  and  so  soft  in  its  outlines  that  the  oval 
of  the  cheek  and  swan-like  curving  of  the  throat,  blent 


78  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

and  diffused  their  warm  tints  melting  away  mistily 
into  the  swell  of  the  snowy  bust. 

The  portrait  was  executed  by  Powers  and  expressly 
to  adorn  his  prize  collection.  He  had  seen  Annie 
LaGrange  with  the  infant  Pearl  in  her  arms  sitting 
upon  the  rickety  doorsteps  of  the  old  tenement  house, 
which  Pearl  and  her  father  had  abandoned  with  all 
its  sad  memories  upon  the  death  of  the  mother  and 
little  Fra.  Evening  after  evening  did  the  infatuated 
lover  of  beauty  stroll  by  that  doorway  till  the  picture 
was  memorized  and  the  sketch  perfected.  Years 
afterwards,  during  the  early  weeks  of  Robert  La 
Grange's  illness,  Pearl,  Cecile  and  Stanley  strolled 
into  a  gallery  but  just  thrown  open  to  the  public  for 
the  exhibition  of  masterpieces  in  oil. 

Upon  an  easel  confronting  Pearl  as  she  entered  this 
gallery  was  the  portrait  of  her  idolized  mother.  There 
could  be  no  mistake  in  those  eyes  which  looked  into 
hers  with  the  same  old  tenderness  she  had  missed  so 
long!  She  stood  transfixed,  and,  though  Stanley  and 
Cecile  passed  on  and  Stanley  returned  again  and 
again  for  her  to  join  them  in  their,  rounds  she  heard 
them  not  until  they  forcibly  seized  and  dragged  her 
away  from  the  picture,  when,  recalling  her  surround- 
ings and  pointing  to  it,  she  introduced  them  to  her 
mother ! 

Cecile  and  Stanley  saw  quickly  the  resemblance  to 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  79 

Pearl,  but  assured  her  it  must  be  accidental;  however y 
Stanley  promised  he  would  learn  its  history  and  if  the 
picture  was  traceable  to  any  but  an  ideal  source. 

One  evening  Pearl  returned  to  her  home  to  find  the 
precious  relic  hers  -  the  united  gift  of  Stanley  and 
Cecile  Veen.  In  this  remarkable  manner  had  the 
living  likeness  of  Annie  LaGrange  been  restored  to 
her  family  and  the  shadow  of  her  angel  presence  come 
as  if  commissioned  to  sweep  out  another  shadow,  HOAV 
falling  like  the  black  wings  of  night  across  the 
threshold. 

The  world  again  presented  its  dark  side  to  Pearl 
LaGrange  and  fortune  the  second  critical  turning 
point  in  her  destiny. 

Since  establishing  herself  at  her  father's  bedside 
Pearl  had  given  up  her  class  and  the  last  earnings  of 
Robert  LaGrange  were  slowly  melting  away  under  the 
pressure  of  such  daily  needs  as  the  filling  out  of  the 
doctor's  prescriptions  the  comforts  which  Pearl  anti- 
cipated and  obtained — never  counting  the  cost  since 
it  was  her  father's  money  which  procured  them.  In- 
deed it  was  not  until  aunt  Meg  warned  her  of  the 
limits  of  an  already  depleted  pocketbook  that  Pearl 
realized  the  possibility  of  not  being  able  to  keep  up 
the  little  table  of  luxuries  which  had  stood  at  her 
father's  bedside  so  long,  tempting  the  failing  appetite 
and  delighting  his  child  to  supply  at  the  self-sacrifi- 


80  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

cing  price  of  her  own  and  her  old  aunt's  physical 
needs;  for  Pearl  always  insisted  in  her  heart  that 
her  father,  who  was  still  young  might  yet  be  saved  by 
the  ministrations  of  love — a  comforting  thought  she 
repeated  to  herself  mentally  while  assiduously  main- 
taining her  sleepless  watch. 

It  was  upon  the  total  dark  of  such  a  night-sorrow 
that  daylight  streamed  in,  enveloping  the  cottage,  its 
mournful  watchers  and  the  white  face  of  the  dying  La 
Grange  in  its  generous  flood  of  sunshine. 

In  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which  Stanley  Veen 
made  a  business  visit  to  the  Governor's  mansion,  the 
expressman  brought  to  the  LaGrange  cottage  a  pack- 
age addressed  to  Pearl.  Upon  turning  and  scanning 
the  mysterious  thing  before  breaking  its  foreign  seal, 
Pearl's  imagination  fairly  danced  as  she  thought  of 
the  wonderful  inheritance  aunt  Meg  had  assured  her 
some  day  would  fall  to  her  share  from  the  old  manor 
house  estate  at  Gascony;  that  this  might  be  the  first 
installment  in  answer  to  her  father's  claim  of  heir- 
ship,  gave  her  heart  a  thrill  of  delight. 

She  broke  the  seal  and  when  she  had  torn  off  the 
wrappings,  and  with  its  enclosed  key  unlocked  the 
casket  containing  the  jewels  already  inspected  by  the 
reader  as  they  sparkled  upon  the  library  writing  ta- 
ble at  the  Governor's  mansion,  she  was  sure  her  pre- 
monitions were  correct.  The  note,  however,  dispelled 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  81 

her  illusions,  and  Pearl's  eyes  filled  with  tears  of 
mingled  disappointment  and  puzzled  surprise  at  the 
strange  answer  to  her  prayers  for  help,  and  the  sud- 
den dash  of  these,  her  most  sanguine  hopes  for  inde- 
pendence. 

Not  until  she  had  submitted  the  casket  with  its  con- 
tents to  Stanley  Veen's  inspection  did  she  appreciate 
its  value  or  the  possibility  of  turning  it  into  any  prac- 
tical good  whatever.  She  was  tossed  upon  a  limitless 
sea  of  speculation  to  know  who  had  given  her  name 
to  Dr.  Carlisle,  and  why  he  should  have  honored  her 
with  so  costly  a  gift. 

It  was  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  for  her 
to  have  saved  the  life  of  the  poor  little  helpless  hunch- 
back just  as  she  did,  and  the  most  inhuman  spectacle 
she  had  ever  witnessed  was  furnished  in  the  indiffer- 
ence manifested  by  the  crowd  regarding  the  four  im- 
periled lives  on  that  memorable  day. 

While  Pearl  meditated  upon  these  things  the  sick 
man  slept  and  she  awaited  Stanley  Veen.  At  last, 
placing  her  head  upon  the  pillow  beside  her  father's, 
overcome  by  extreme  weariness  and  anxiety,  she  joined 
him  in  the  realms  of  forgetfulness;  nor  did  she  hear 
the  light  step  of  Stanley,  who  stood  gazing  upon  the 
picture  of  the  two  faces  resting  upon  the  same  pillow. 
It  was  wan  death  and  rosy  health;  and  the  contrast 


82  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

made  Stanley  Veen  shudder,  young  and  strong  as  he 
felt  himself  to  be. 

The  pale  messenger  had  lingered  long  and  love  had 
been  so  tenderly  alive  to  every  need,  the  spirit  could 
not  break  faith  with  its  clay  save  by  that  insidious 
letting  go  of  the  life-hold  which  rather  aggravates  than 
spares  the  shock  of  death.  And  thus  the  urgent  hour 
had  come  unrecognized.  The  strange,  deep  calm ;  the 
unusual  clearness  of  the  mind;  the  freedom  from 
pain,  had  all  been  construed  into  so  many  favorable 
intimations  of  rallying  life  powers. 

Aunt  Meg  had  repaired  to  her  room  for  the  night 
and  Pearl's  heart  beat  lighter  than  it  had  for  many 
weeks. 

Before  Stanley  Veen  took  the  jewels  to  the  Gover- 
nor, however,  he  had  a  long  conversation  with  the  doc- 
tor, and  knew  a  few  hours  only  remained  to  Pearl  of 
her  father's  presence. 

While  planning  in  his  mind  just  how  he  should 
break  the  news  to  Pearl,  a  look  of  extreme  weariness 
and  pain  passed  over  the  face  of  the  dying  LaGrange. 
He  opened  his  eyes  and  turned  his  head  upon  the 
pillow.  Pearl  leaped  to  her  feet,  crimson  with  con- 
fusion. 

"  Why,  Stanley  Veen!  "  she  said,  "when  did  you 
come?  How  long  I  have  beeen  sleeping!  " 

"  Not  long,  dear  heart,"  said  Stanley,  "your  father 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  83 

has  this  moment  wakened,  and  I  have  watched  you 
both.  You  slept  as  though  the  lapse  was  novel  to 
you,  and  you  look  so  dead  tired,  Pearl." 

"But  I  am  not,"  Pearl  said.  "  It  was  sheer  stupi- 
dity in  me  to  fall  asleep.  See!  How  much  brighter 
father  looks  for  his  rest.  I  call  him  so  much  better, 
too,  to-day! " 

Stanley  shook  his  head,  and  motioning  her  into 
another  room,  he  said,  very  tenderly  and  in  low  tones: 

"  I  shall  not  leave  you,  Pearl,  to-night,  unless  you 
drive  me  out.  It  is  our  place — Cecile's  and  mine — to 
help  you  to  the  end." 

"Whatl"  said  Pearl,  paling  as  she  caught  the  drift 
of  Stanley's  meaning,  "you  don't  mean — you  do  not 
think  my  father  worse?" 

"I  think,"  said  Stanley,  "really  a  great  change  has 
come  over  your  father  since  yesterday,  and  greater 
still  since  my  errand  and  return  just  now." 

Pearl  sank  into  a  chair  and  buried  her  face  in  her 
hands,  while  Stanley  continued: 

"Dear  Pearl,  forgive  my  frankness!"  You  must 
be  prepared  to-night." 

"Oh,  Stanley!  My  father  will  not  die.  He  cannot 
leave  me  alone.  No,  no!  If  father  dies  then  I  re- 
nounce the  world;  I  have  nothing  more  to  live  for." 

"  Say  not  so,  Pearl.  Aunt  Meg  is  left  and  Cecile 
and  your  brother,  Stanley  Veen." 


84  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  Forgive  me  if  I  repeat  the  ingrate  thought.  I 
Jiave  nothing  more  to  live  for." 

Stanley  moved  towards  the  door  and  Pearl  roused 
herself. 

"  You  will  not  leave  me,  Stanley?" 

"  Only  to  bring  Cecile,"  he  answered. 

"  I  want  you  both,"  said  Pearl. 

"  And  both  shall  come,"  said  Stanley,  as  he  closed 
the  outer  door  softly  behind  him. 

And  Pearl,  realizing  the  necessity  for  self  control 
in  the  presence  of  her  father,  bathed  her  face  off 
quickly,  and  with  a  forced  smile  on  her  lips  entered 
his  presence. 

Extending  his  wasted  hand  and  feebly  beckoning 
Pearl  towards  him,  he  said: 

"  Come,  Pearl,  my  child,  are  we  alone?  " 

"Yes,  father." 

"  I  have  something  I  must  say  to  you  before  I  go. 
No  other  ears  must  hear  it." 

"  But  father,  my  own  father,  you  are  not  going," 
and  Pearl,  unable  to  control  herself,  burst  into  a  par- 
oxysm of  weeping  and  moaning. 

"  My  child!  You  will  unnerve  me.  I  need  all  my 
strength  now,  for  the  final  moment  is  upon  me,  and 
my  work  done,  or  so  nearly  so  that  you  may  finish  it. 
So  bear  up  cheerfully  sweet  child.  You  quite  forget 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  86 

old  aunt  Meg  is  here  when  I  am  gone,  and  with  your 
class  and  health,  and  your  pure  trust  in  God,  I  give 
you  all  a  father's  confidence  that  you  will  live  worthy 
the  good  name  of  both  houses  now  bequeathed  you  at 
my  death.  It  is  your  only  fortune,  and  it  will  never 
take  wings  and  fly  away,  as  bags  of  gold  have  done. 
Pearl!  Quickly!  While  I  have  my  mind,  get  pen 
and  paper  and  jot  down  verbatim  what  I  have  to  say. 
Make  haste,  my  daughter!" 

With  streaming  eyes  Pearl  obeyed,  and  soon  an- 
nounced herself  in  readiness  for  his  dictations. 

A  sealed  package  was  brought  addressed  to  the 
Governor  which  Pearl  sacredly  promised  her  father  to 
deliver  herself,  it  being  a  matter  of  life  and  death  to 
the  parties  concerned. 

With  this  sealed  document  LaGrange  dictated  the 
following  note  addressed  to  his  excellency,  Governor 
Kellogg,  Executive  Chamber,  St.  Saul. 

"  I,  Robert  LaGrange,  in  dying,  deem  it  my  duty  to 
submit  to  the  Governor  of  our  state  the  enclosed 
papers,  entrusted  to  me  for  this  purpose  and  to  pro- 
mote the  ends  of  mercy.  I  furthermore  pray  that  the 
innocent  man  who  has  suffered  years  of  imprisonment 
for  a  crime  committed  by  another,  be  set  free,  and 
permitted  to  reestablish  himself  and  his  former  claims 
to  respectable  citizenship.  The  paper  has  been  in  my 
possession  some  weeks,  awaiting  the  results  of  my  last 


86  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

prostration;  that  I  might  present  it  in  person  to  your 
excellency.     I  am,  sir, 

With  great  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

ROBERT  LAGBANGE." 

This  note  being  signed  in  the  trembling  hand  of  the 
dying  man,  and  Pearl  having  promised  to  carry  the 
important  package  to  the  Governor  immediately  after 
the  burial  of  her  father,  she  carefully  returned  the 
papers  to  her  father's  desk,  and  thinking  she  discov- 
ered a  new  cause  for  alarm  in  his  countenance,  she 
poured  out  a  glass  of  cordial,  raised  him  in  her  arms 
and  urged  him  to  drink. 

It  was  not  possible.  He  had  exhausted  the  last 
spark  of  vitality  in  his  effort  to  execute  the  trust 
which  had  been  committed  to  him,  and  which  had 
hung  dependent  upon  this  last  thread  of  his  existence, 
and  would  have  been  lost  but  for  the  rallying  energies 
of  a  faithful  heart. 

Pearl  rushed  into  her  old  aunt's  room  and  seizing 
her  frantically,  cried: 

"  He  is  going,  auntie!  Father  is  dying!  Oh,  come 
quickly! "  and  by  the  time  the  poor  flustered  old  lady 
had  roused  herself,  draped  a  blanket  hastily  around 
her  shoulders  and  entered  the  apartment,  Pearl  had 
taken  her  father  up  into  her  arms  on  the  bed,  as  one 
would  take  a  little  child.  His  dying  head  was  pil- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  87 

lowed  on  her  bosom,  and  her  face  pressed  close  to  his, 
as  if  she  could  thus  ward  off  the  impending  stroke 
and  detain  the  spirit  by  the  same  power  which  ena- 
bled her  to  encircle  the  precious  form  within  her 
strong  and  loving  embrace. 

The  countenance  of  the  dying  man  was  lighted  up 
with  a  supernatural  brilliancy  of  expression,  and  his 
large  kind  eyes  beamed  as  though  already  feasting 
upon  the  restful  verdure  of  the  evergreen  hills. 

Smiling  tenderly  upon  old  aunt  Meg  as  she  knelt  at 
his  bedside  he  said: 

"Sister,  you  will  guard  my  poor  orphan  child?" 

"Aye,  brother;  as  ye  pit  your  trust  in  the  Laird, 
you  may  count  on  your  auld  sister  to  watch  over  the 
bairnie  Pearl.  It  has  a'  come  to  me  what  maun  be 
done.  Gude  will  guide  us  aloon  in  the  warld  as  we 
maun  be,  when  ye  gang  to  the  land  o'  the  leel." 

"  Pearl,  sweet  child,  remember  all  I  have  told  you. 
Be  good;  confide  in  and  consult  your  auntie  in  all 
things,  and  may  the  God  of  the  fatherless  and  of  the 
poor  watch  over  my  lamb.  Remember  your  duties 
are  best  performed  in  this  life  by  ever  keeping  and 
holding  close  to  your  heart  a  knowledge  of  the  life 
and  love  in  the  world  to  come.  I  go!  God  protect 
you  both!  " 

The  wasted  hand  which  had  caressingly  stroked 
Pearl's  hair  the  while  he  spoke,  dropped  suddenly. 


88  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  He's  wi'  your  sainted  mither  and  our  ain  bairnie 
Fra,  a  luking  down  on  ye  fra  heaven,"  said  aunt  Meg. 

Pearl  lifted  his  head,  gazed  long  and  earnestly  upon 
the  features  now  settling  into  the  rigid  expression  of 
death. 

"  O  father!  Speak  once  more  to  me!  Just  once!  " 
she  cried. 

But  the  spirit  had  taken  its  flight,  so  gently  releas- 
ing itself  from  the  embraces  of  love,  that  Pearl  might 
have  said  she  carried  her  father  in  her  arms  to  the 
very  gates  of  Paradise.  No  angel  would  have  contra- 
dicted her  statement. 

A  half-hour  passed.  The  fire  burned  low.  The 
night  winds  lashed  the  naked  grapevines  against  the 
outer  casement  as  they  beat  out  their  mournful  meas- 
ures to  departing  time. 

Another  half -hour  passed.  The  fire  had  burned  to 
ashes,  and  the  atmosphere  of  the  cottage  put  on  the 
temperature  and  stillness  of  death.  Aunt  Meg's  face 
was  yet  buried  in  the  bed-clothes  and  she  had  not 
risen  from  her  knees.  Pearl  still  clasped  in  her  arms 
the  lifeless  form  of  her  father!  If  the  mourners  had 
turned  to  stone  they  could  not  have  been  more  motion- 
less, more  silent;  and  the  darkness  which  enveloped 
them  was  equally  profound. 

Neither  of  them  started  at  the  clicking  of  the  gate 
or  the  opening  of  the  street  door. 


A  .SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  89 

"  Stanley,"  said  Cecile,  "  what  does  it  mean,  this 
darkness  ?  Are  you  sure  this  is  the  house  ?  " 

"  Wait,  Cecile.  till  J  strike  a  match,"  and  Stanley 
held  up  the  tiny  flame  while  they  both  peered  through 
the  darkness  of  the  room." 

"  Why  yes;  we  are  right.  This  is  the  little  kitchen; 
there  is  Pearl's  hat,  just  where  she  hung  it  last  time 
we  went  together  for  the  doctor;  but  listen!  " 

"  I  hear  nothing,  Stanley.  You  make  me  tremble. 
Are  you  going  in?  " 

"I  have  turned  the  door-knob.  All  is  darkness 
Cecile,  I  never  was  afraid  before.  I  cannot  hear  a 
sound.  Where  are  the  lamps  ?  " 

"  I  have  found  a  candle,"  whispered  Cecile. 

"  Light  it  quickly,  and  let's  find  out  what  the  matter 
is." 

Stanley  lighted  the  candle  and  Cecile  followed  him 
into  the  room,  holding  on  to  his  arm  and  walking  close 
behind  him. 

Reader,  can  you  imagine  the  picture?  The  room 
was  an  oblong,  with  low  ceiling,  a  bed  in  the  centre, 
and  beside  it  the  little  table  and  a  few  chairs,  which 
completed  the  furniture  of  the  apartment. 

As  Stanley  held  the  light  a  little  in  advance  of  them, 
the  central  figure  of  the  dead  man  propped  up  in  the 
arms  of  Pearl  was  ghastly  in  the  extreme.  Cecile 
could  hardly  suppress  a  shriek  of  horror  at  the  sight, 


90  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

aunt  Meg  seemed  moaning  and  praying,  and  did  not 
lift  her  head;  while  Pearl  made  no  sign  whatever,  but 
seemed  staring  on  vacancy.  The  expression  of  her 
eyes,  and  her  deathly  pallor  startled  Stanley. 

" Take  the  candle,"  said  Stanley;  "there  is  some- 
thing worse  than  death  here.  Look  at  Pearl!"  and 
Stanley  unlocked  her  arms  and  literally  dragged  her 
off  the  bed,  letting  the  dead  man  fall  back  upon  the 
pillow. 

"Quick!  Give  me  something.  Pearl  is  faint  and 
cold"  said  Stanley. 

This  roused  aunt  Meg,  who  bringing  the  cordial 
bottle,  held  it  tightly  corked  to  her  white  lips. 

"Ou,  wae's  me  !  She's  unco'  ill !  Hadna  we  better 
sin' for  the  doctor?  Wae's  me  !  An  she  was  to  dee!" 
And  the  old  aunt  fairly  wrung  her  hands  with  grief. 

Stanley  bore  Pearl  to  her  room  and,  laying  her 
gently,  as  if  she  had  been  8  babe,  upon  her  pillows, 
he  said  to  Cecile: 

"  I  will  go  for  the  Doctor;  though  I  think  it  is  only 
a  faint  from  exhaustion.  No  one  knows  better  than  I 
what  this  poor  girl  has  gone  through  with  in  these  long 
sleepless  weeks  of  constant  nursing  and  anxious  watch- 
ing. The  tension  has  been  too  great.  It  would  have 
broken  an  ordinary  girl  into  strings.  But  Pearl  is 
not  made  of  common  stuff.  If  you  can  rouse  her,  give 
her  a  wine-glass  of  that  cordial;  but  don't  raise  her 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

head.  I  wonder  how  long  she  has  been  in  this  dead 
faint,  sitting  bolt  upright?  Horrible!  Thank  God 
we  are  here,  in  spite  of  all  the  obstacles  thrown  in  our 
way.  Now,  Cecile,  do  not  look  so  frightened.  Pearl 
will  come  out  better  for  this  enforced  rest.  I  dreaded 
so  the  shock  her  father's  death  would  give  her!  She 
will  return  to  consciousness  and  calm, — you  see!' 
and  Stanley  after  building  the  fires,  went  out  of  the 
street  door. 

The  physician  employed  by  Pearl  for  her  father 
lived  near  and  was  in  a  few  minutes  at  the  girl's  bed- 
side. Pearl  had  come  to  her  senses  and  it  was  even 
as  Stanley  had  predicted.  She  was  calm  and  rallied 
rapidly  under  the  new  regime  of  cordials  and  dainties, 
Stanley  had  brought  with  him,  anticipating  the  ripe 
needs  of  their  most  grateful  services. 

Stanley  Veen  was  a  born  genius.  His  head  was  so 
well  balanced  by  his  heart,  that  he  never  erred  in  an- 
swering the  accord  of  their  dictations. 

In  the  delicate  situation  in  which  he  was  now  placed 
at  the  LaGrange  cottage  the  moral  strength  of  his 
character  shone  out.  He  assumed  every  responsibil- 
ity, took  charge  of  every  detail  connected  with  the 
funeral  and  burial  of  Robert  LaGrange  conducting 
the  entire  affair  with  a  judgment,  dignity  and  decorum 
which  would  have  done  honor  to  a  man  of  twice  his 
years.  Happily  for  Pearl,  her  lapse  from  conscious- 


92  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

ness,  at  the  moment  of  her  father's  death,  left  a  long 
blank  in  which  her  imagination  included  all  the  steps 
of  anguish  leading  from  the  winding  sheet  to  the 
.newly  made  grave  in  Tanglewood.  So  it  was  wisely 
decided  by  Stanley  that  Pearl  should,  under  the  in- 
structions of  her  physician,  keep  her  room  for  a  few 
days. 

The  procession  which  honored  the  remains  of  Rob- 
ert LaGrange,  included  the  hearse,  and  one  carriage 
in  which  were  the  the  minister,  sister  Meg,  Cecile  and 
Stanley  Veen;  and  the  dead  man  was  as  tenderly  laid 
to  his  rest  as  though  the  representatives  of  pride  and 
pomp  had  honored  and  followed  him,  with  miles  of 
shining  carriages. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Take  him  again,  Oh  Mother,  to  your  heart; 

His  wrists  are  free  as  thine  from  prison  scars. 
For  sixteen  years,  from  world  and  friends  apart — 

Now  take  him  back  and  crown  him.  Heaven,  with  stars. 

While  the  funeral  cortege  of  Robert  LaGrange  was 
slowly  entering  the  gates  of  Tanglewood  Cemetery, 
John  Durant,  the  reformed  arsenic  eater,  lay  dying 
in  a  miserable  hovel  on  Clay  street. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  93 

At  his  bedside,  in  garments  of  wealth,  knelt  the 
good  wife  of  Roland  Clifford,  the  charity  angel  of  St. 
Saul,  a  lady  perhaps  fifty  years  of  age.  She  looked 
much  younger  and  had  been  very  beautiful. 

In  her  rounds  among  the  poor,  huddled  together 
like  so  many  rats  in  their  uncanny  holes,  she  had 
found  John  Durant  and  taken  up  his  pitiable  case 
just  where  the  good  LaGrange  had  been  compelled  to 
leave  it;  and  now,  in  his  last  moments  she  was  stimu- 
lating his  faith  with  the  wonderful  story  of  the  thief 
on  the  cross.  The  man  seemed  suffering  from  some 
terrible  mental  depression — the  infliction  of  burdened 
conscience. 

Suddenly  wandering  off  in  delirium,  his  exclamations 
startled  her.  She  listened  closely,  rose  to  her  feet, 
leaned  her  face  closer  to  his  lips  to  catch  the  whis- 
pered words;  on  he  rambled,  now  raving,  now  whis- 
pering, and  much  was  lost.  The  woman  looked  around 
her,  placed  her  hand  upon  her  heart  as  if  to  still  its 
clamorous  beatings;  bent  again,  catching  the  words — 
"Alfred  Clifford — a  felon's  cell  —  innocent  man!" 
She  turned  deadly  pale  and  staggered  towards  the  bed 
for  support.  The  man  raved  on.  She  went  to  him, 
seized  him  by  the  shoulders,  shaking  him  most  harshly; 
"  tell  me  man,"  said  she,  "  tell  me  do  you  know  Alfred 
Clifford?  What  you  know  of  him?  Oh,  for  the  love 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

of  Jesus  tell  me!     I  am  his  mother!     Tell  me  again, 
Oh  tell  me!     You  know  him  to  be  innocent?" 

He  answered  quickly  back: — "Who  says  I  knew 
him?  Ha!  It  is  true!  I  saw"  him  handcuffed;  led 
away  between  two  British  officers.  His  face  was  white 
and  rosy  as  a  girl's;  and  he  scarce  over  twenty.  Oh 
mercy,  mercy!  How  I  lothed  his  fiendish  wife!  The 
widow  who  entrapped  him  into  marriage;  and  Oh 
God! — who  fastened  on  his  pure  untarnished  name 
the  brand  of  murderer!  Will  God  forgive  the  part  I 
played  in  this  most  awful  crime!" 

"What  part?  Oh  tell  me  man!  I  shall  go  mad! " 
and  the  lady  seized  the  dying  wretch  with  both  hands, 
raised  him  from  his  cot  and  tried  to  fix  his  gaze  and 
force  his  wandering  reason  back.  It  was  too  late. 
His  eyes  were  glazing.  His  voice  grown  husky,  and 
his  words  inarticulate. 

The  lady  was  now  beside  herself.  What  could  she 
do  to  stay  the  hand  of  death  and  bring  this  man  to 
full  confession?  Surely  this  was  the  secret  she  well 
knew  existed  in  some  human  breast,  the  secret  of  her 
son's  innocence. 

A  woman  in  rags,  untidy  in  the  extreme,  and  with 
dishevelled  hair,  entered  the  room  and  called  out  in 
hoarse  tones: 

"  The  doctor  is  here  Ma'm;  shall  I  sind  him  oop?  " 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  95 

"  Quickly!  Yes,"  said  the  lady,  still  hovering  over 
the  dying  wretch  as  though  the  words  of  life  hung  on 
his  lips. 

The  physician,  a  cheerful  looking  gentleman  wear- 
ing the  professional  broadcloth,  entered,  greeting 
Mrs.  Clifford  cordially  and  thanking  her  for  sending 
her  carriage. 

"  I  thought  the  man  might  perhaps  be  saved  for 
future*  usefulness.  He  has  had  a  remarkable  con- 
version," said  Mrs.  Clifford. 

The  doctor  took  his  temperature  and  pulse,  the  man 
remaining  very  still  the  while.  Shaking  his  head  he 
said: 

"  I  will  leave  this  powder.  If  he  sleeps  do  not  dis- 
turb him;  it  will  do  no  good  His  time  is  up.  I  have 
a  very  important  case  for  consultation  and  must  leave 
you  to  see  this  patient  comfortably  over  the  river.  I 
do  not  think,  Madame,  a  poor  soul  in  the  circle  of  our 
parish  work  has  suffered  from  cold  or  starvation  this 
winter,  and  I  can  safely  add,  they  never  will  while 
Roland  Clifford's  wife  is  spared.  Good  morning." 

Again  alone,  the  lady  bathed  the  temples  of  Durant 
with  spirits  and  tried  to  rouse  him,  calling  to  him 
gently.  His  eyes  opened;  he  muttered,  "I've  made 
my  peace  with  God;  so  let  me  go." 

"  You  have  no  peace  with  God  until  you  tell  me  all 


96  A.  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

you  know  of  Alfred  Clifford."  And  the  lady  forced 
a  powder  through  the  lips  of  the  dying  man. 

"  I  know  no  more,"  he  said,  "  LaGrange — Robert 
LaGrange — knows  all." 

"Who  is  LaGrange,  and  where  does  he  live?" 
wildly  inquired  the  lady. 

"  His  home  is  not  much  better  than  a  dog's  kennel; 
but  he  is  good.  He — lives  —  here — in — St.  Saul." 
The  last  words  were  rather  gasped  than  spoken,  and 
the  man  fell  back  a  corpse. 

The  lady  opened  her  purse,  took  out  a  roll  of  bills, 
and  upon  a  blank  card  wrote,  repeating  to  herself,  the 
name  "  Robert  LaGrange,  St.  Saul." 

At  this  juncture  the  mistress  of  the  hovel  appeared 
and  Mrs.  Clifford,  dreading  the  detention  of  a  blarney 
over  the  dead  man,  thrust  a  roll  of  bank  bills  into  her 
dirty  fingers,  gave  her  some  instructions,  hastily  threw 
on  her  wraps,  drove  to  the  nearest  drug  store,  con- 
sulted the  directory,  and  disappeared  in  her  carriage 
down  the  crowded  avenue. 

The  miseries  of  human  life  afford  one  of  the  high- 
est proofs  of  a  future  state,  since  it  cannot  be  imag- 
ined how  infinite  benevolence  could  create  a  being 
capable  of  enjoying  so  much  more  than  is  here  to  be 
enjoyed,  and  qualified  by  nature  to  prolong  pain  by 
remembrance  and  anticipate  it  by  terror,  if  he  was 
not  designed  for  something  better  and  nobler  than  a 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  97 

state  in  which  many  of  his  faculties  serve  only  for 
his  torment.  There  must  surely  come  a  time  when 
every  capacity  for  happiness  shall  be  filled,  and  none 
shall  be  wretched,  save  by  his  own  fault. 

If  our  present  state  were  one  continued  succession 
of  delights,  one  uniform  flow  of  love  and  tranquility, 
we  should  never  willingly  reflect  upon  its  end.  Afflic- 
tion prepares  us  for  felicity,  and  we  may  confidently 
console  ourselves  under  its  pressure,  by  remembering 
it  cannot  be  a  particular  mark  of  divine  displeasure, 
since  all  the  distresses  of .  persecution  have  been  suf- 
fered by  those  "of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy," 
and  the  redeemer  of  mankind,  himself,  was  a  man  of 
sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief. 

The  Queen's  bench  which  sits  four  times  a  year  at 
Quebec  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  appeals,  was  in 
session,  and  the  most  important  case  under  consider- 
ation was  one  presented  by  his  excellency.  Governor 
Kellogg  of State,  U.  S.  A.,  a  correct  understand- 
ing of  which  involves  the  reading  of  the  following 
papers,  procured  on  the  evening  after  John  Durant's 
death,  by  the  banker's  wife  of  St.  Saul,  Mrs.  Koland 
Clifford,  who  attended  his  last  moments,  and  who, 
after  listening  to  his  astounding  confession,  repaired 
to  the  LaGrange  cottage,  and  received  from  the  hands 
of  Pearl  the  document  already  referred  to,  which  was 
presented  to  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  Dominion 


98  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

in  council,  assisted  by  his  executives,  in  person,  by 
the  mother  of  Alfred  Clifford,  then  a  prisoner  in  the 
penitentiary  at  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  under  the  control 
of  the  Dominion. 

With  this  official  greeting,  Governor  Kellogg  added 
a  strong  letter  for  mercy,  believing  from  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  papers  that  the  young  man  con- 
victed of  homicide,  upon  circumstantial  evidence 
alone,  should,  upon  the  strength  of  the  enclosed  state- 
ment, be  immediately  restored  to  liberty  and  the  pur- 
suit of  happiness: 

ST.  SAUL,  U.  S.  A. 
"  To  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Canada, 

And  his  August  Executive  Council:  — 

I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  for  your 
careful  inspection,  the  following  affidavit,  which^has 
been  made  ex  parte  upon  oath,  before  au  authorized 
magistrate ;  and  further  to  petition  of  your  Excellency 
an  immediate  action  upon  the  same,  for  the  release 
from  imprisonment  of  an  innocent  man: 

In  Testimony  Whereof  I  have  caused  the  Great 

Seal  of  the  State  of to  be  affixed  on  this  18th 

day  of  April,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  18 — . 
CASSIUS  KELLOGG, 

Gov.  of State." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  affidavit  enclosed  in 
the  foregoing  letter: 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  99 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  JOHN  DURANT. 

State  of } 

>  ss. 
County  of ) 

John  Durant,  being  by  me  duly  sworn,  deposes 
and  says: 

Through  evil  associations  from  early  boyhood  I  have 
led  a  long  life  of  shame  and  iniquity.  I  am  about 
to  die.  Robert  LaGrange,  well  known  among  the 
poor  of  St.  Saul  as  a  man  of  small  means  and  large 
charities,  has  provided  a  comfortable  place  for  me  to 
die  in,  and  visited  and  prayed  with  me  from  his  own 
sick  bed.  I  am  sincerely  repenting  of  my  sins  and 
trusting  to  the  mercy  of  heaven.  In  testimonial 
whereof  I  make  full  confession  of  the  only  wrong  I 
am  able  to  repair  in  the  short  space  of  time  now  al- 
lotted me.  Sixteen  years  ago  in  the  City  of  Quebec 
in  Her  Majesty's  dominion,  I  was  employed  as  porter 
for  several  months  in  the  Frankfort  Hotel.  A  young 
married  couple  were  boarding  at  this  hotel  by  the 
name  of  Clifford.  The  husband,  Alfred  Clifford,  was 
an  industrious,  courteous  gentleman,  and  a  most  pop- 
ular man  socially  and  among  business  men.  He  was 
a  traveling  salesman  for  a  large  house  in  New  York 
and  his  headquarters  had  been  established  a  little  less 
than  a  year  at  Quebec. 


100  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Mrs.  Clifford  was  very  unpopular  at  the  hotel,  hav- 
ing shown  a  violent  temper,  and  upon  one  occasion 
seriously  injured  a  bell  boy  by  throwing  a  toilet 
bottle  at  his  head  for  having  innocently  delivered  one 
of  her  letters  to  her  husband.  After  this  no  one 
cared  to  wait  upon  her  but  myself,  and  I  was  drawn 
to  her  presumably  as  evil-disposed  people  are  usually 
attracted  toward  each  other. 

One  morning  when  passing  her  door  she  called  me 
into  her  room  and  asked  me  if  I  would  help  a  lady  in 
a  strait  for  good  pay.  I  replied  that  I  was  her  man 
and  eternal  secrecy  should  be  my  motto.  She  then 
related  to  me  a  long  list  of  serious  domestic  troubles 
between  herself  and  Mr.  Clifford;  how  she  had  clan- 
destinely become  aware  of  his  devotions  to  another, 
her  plans  for  thwarting  him  in  the  same,  and  finally 
she  revealed  the  demoniacal  scheme  at  heart  for  his 
utter  ruin,  and  her  coveted  and  complete  revenge. 

It  was  understood  at  the  hotel  that  the  relations 
between  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clifford  were  most  unhappy, 
and  he  Clifford,  had  been  advised  to  obtain  a 
divorce.  This  she  anticipated,  but  she  knew  no  steps 
would  be  taken  before  a  domestic  event  transpired, 
then  imminent.  She  therefore  resorted  to  a  most 
desperate  expedient,  and  one  I  sincerely  regretted  my 
own  complicity  with,  when  I  realized  the  magnitude 
of  the  crime  involved. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  101 

Everything  was  arranged  awaiting  the  return  of 
Clifford  to  Quebec.  The  third  night  after  his  arrival 
I  assisted  Mrs.  Clifford  in  disappearing  mysteriously, 
leaving  Mr.  Clifford  under  the  effects  of  a  strong  nar- 
cotic with  his  clothes  blood-stained  and  a  bloody  knife 
concealed  upon  his  person.  Our  plans  were  so  in- 
geniously carried  out  that  no  clue  whatever  could  be 
obtained  in  clearing  up  the  mystery.  I  had  left  the 
Frankfort  two  weeks  before,  and  was  not  even  ques- 
tioned upon  the  arrest  of  young  Clifford.  It  was  as 
thoroughly  a  mystery  as  though  the  woman  had  evap- 
orated, save  the  unmistakable  evidences  of  crime 
which  were  thrust  upon  the  innocent  man  when  his 
room  was  broken  into  late  the  following  day,  and  he 
aroused  from  an  apparent  drunken  stupor,and  marched 
off  to  a  felon's  cell  without  even  a  hearing.  I  have 
understood  since,  he  had  influential  friends  in  the 
United  States  who  tried  to  liberate  him,  but  it  was 
impossible  while  the  impenetrable  mystery  of  his 
wife's  disappearance  remained  unsolved. 

I  could  die  happy  if  I  knew  this  innocent  man  had 
been  delivered,  or  that  he  lived  to  be  benefitted  by 
this  confession. 

The  last  I  knew  of  Mrs.  Clifford  she  was  convales- 
cent at  the  lying-in  hospital  of  St.  Elizabeth,  at  Strat- 
ford. If  Clifford  yet  lives,  he  languishes  in  the  old 
Canadian  prison  at  Quebec. 

[Signed.]    JOHN  DURANT. 


102  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

The  April  sun  looked  down  upon  the  walls  of  the 
city  of  Quebec — the  Gibralter  of  America — flashing 
over  its  metallic  roofs  and  dancing  over  the  waves  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  St.  Charles — twin  rivers,  con- 
fluent at  its  base — as  unconscious  of  the  crimes  and 
miseries  which  hid  themselves  like  so  many  lizards  in 
a  wall  under  its  magnificent  edifices,  as  the  playful 
freaks  of  a  summer's  wind  are  innocent  of  the  mad 
sweep  of  the  ruthless  cyclone. 

The  officer  in  charge  of  the  Si  Vincent  de  Paul 
prison  created  a  profound  sensation  among  the  pris- 
oners on  the  morning  in  question,  by  speaking  in  a 
peculiarly  distinct  and  significant  manner  the  follow- 
ing words:  "  Prisoner  Alfred  Clifford!  You  are  ordered 
to  report  at  once  to  the  Commissioner's  office  upon 
matters  which  pertain  to  your  restoration  to  liberty." 

There  was  a  stir  among  a  company  of  men  sitting 
engaged  in  various  occupations  around  a  long  table  in 
a  narrow  room  looking  out  upon  an  iron  balcony. 

The  men  were  none  of  them  in  prison  attire,  nor 
did  their  movements  and  freedom  of  social  intercourse 
with  each  other,  indicate  they  were  controlled  by  any 
restrictions  whatever.  As  the  announcement  was 
made,  a  tall,  pale,  youthful  looking  man  rose  to  his 
feet,  bowed  and  smiled  a  respectful  acquiescence. 

"  By  Jove! "  said  the  companion  next  to  him,  a  good- 
natured  looking  man  engaged  in  some  ingenius  and 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  103 

delicate  manipulations,  "  Clifford,  I  congratulate  you! 
St.  Vincent  never  had  any  legitimate  business  with 
you  anyhow.  Why  man!  What  is  the  matter? 
You  tremble  as  though  you  had  received  the  sentence 
to  hang  by  the  neck  till  dead,  when  it  is  liberty,  sweet 
liberty,  that  calls  you  to  her  arms!  You  ought  to  be 
the  happiest  man  in  Canada!" 

"  Comrade,"  said  Clifford  in  a  low  tone  of  voice, 
"imagine  an  eagle  who  had  once  prided  himself 
upon  soaring  into  the  face  of  the  sun,  suddenly  cap- 
tured and  pinioned  down  by  both  wings  in  the  depths 
of  the  slum  of  some  unverdured  plain  and  there  kept 
in  duress  for  sixteen  years !  Then  imagine  the  effect 
of  the  same  power  as  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  un- 
binding those  fetters,  would  it  be  marvellous  if  the 
bird  lay  still  awhile,  or  fluttered  distrustfully  and 
tremulous,  as  if  it  had  forgotten  quite  the  play  of 
feathered  oar  in  ambient  air;  the  glorious  throb  of 
freedom's  pulse  in  freedom's  native  element?  Nay, 
more,  would  you  not  look  with  alarm  upon  him  if  he 
suddenly  and  aimlessly  darted  upwards,  expecting  to 
see  him  at  the  first  instance  of  fatigue,  drop  lifeless  to 
the  earth?  I  am  like  the  blind  man  whom  Jesus  re- 
stored to  sight.  My  vision  is  unsteady.  '  I  see  men 
as  trees  walking.'  Possibly  if  I  get  free  and  attempt 
to  pass  the  compliments  of  the  day  with  an  old  friend 
I  shall  begin  with  a  synopsis  of  prison  reforms.  Here's 


104  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

my  last  unfinished  work,  which,  if  restored  to  liberty, 
I  enjoin  upon  you  to  complete.  It  may  be  the  means 
of  ameliorating  the  condition  of  things,  or  it  may  do 
more." 

Here  a  messenger  came  saying:  "Perhaps  Alfred 
Clifford  prefers  serving  out  the  full  term  of  his  sen- 
tence; the  friend  who  is  waiting  to  see  him  is  growing 
impatient." 

"Friend?"  said  Clifford,  "I  had  forgotten  the 
music  of  that  word!  It  must  be  some  one  from  the 
States!  Well,  I  give  you  th;s  precious  manuscript 
and  commend  you  to  the  God  who  has  heard  my 
prayer.  If  I  had  forgotten  him  he  would  not  have 
remembered  me  to-day!  Farewell  to  you  all." 

The  men  rose  to  their  feet,  showing  much  emotion 
in  bidding  him  farewell. 

Among  the  inmates  of  the  penitentiary,  Alfred  Clif- 
ford was  not  looked  upon  as  a  fellow  prisoner;  nor 
did  he  in  any  sense  share  the  fate  of  criminals  under 
the  same  sentence.  His  influence  had  been  deeply 
felt,  and  his  words  of  kindness  and  smiles  of  pity 
were  dispensed  impartially,  sending  sunshine  into  the 
sepulchral  gloom  of  the  felon's  cell.  It  is  no  marvel 
then,  that  the  news  of  his  liberation  was  received  with 
strong  expressions  of  gladness  for  him  and  sorrow  for 
themselves.  Throughout  the  cellular  recesses  of  the 
prison,  the  words  "Clifford  is  free  !"  electrified  the 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  105 

miserable  inmates,  who  fell  back  shudderingly  upon 
their  iron  beds  with  a  renewed  sense  of  their  hor- 
rible abode. 

When  received  at  St.  Vincent,  Alfred  Clifford,  a 
mere  boy  in  years,  could  neither  comprehend  the 
crime  ascribed  to  him,  nor  the  sentence  attaching 
thereto.  His  very  presence  carried  with  it  the  pure 
atmosphere  of  his  innocence,  and  at  once  enlisted  for 
him  the  sympathy  and  respect  of  his  keepers. 

The  lack  of  any  positive  evidence  to  convict  him, 
together  with  his  unaffected  sincerity  of  manner,  and 
his  courteous  submission  to  his  fate,  won  for  him  the 
confidence  of  the  officers,  and  the  freedom  of  the 
building  and  grounds. 

His  health  had  naturally  suffered  impairment  from 
the  effects  of  the  great  mental  strain  imposed  in  a 
continual  consciousness  of  the  cloud  hanging  over  him, 
and  his  natural  buoyancy  of  spirits  had  lapsed  into  a 
state  of  dejected  melancholy. 

Hence  he  evinced  little  enthusiasm  in  responding 
to  the  officer's  message,  though  it  brought  him  the 
first  intimation  of  liberty  and  a  return  to  the  world  he 
had  received,  since  his  incarceration  a  little  more 
than  sixteen  years  ago. 

As  hope  had  long  since  died  out  in  his  heart,  his 
step  had  lost  its  elasticity,  and  he  passed  through  the 
winding  corridors  as  one  moves  in  a  dream,  the  me- 


106  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

chanical  effort  being  the  only  visible  sign  of  emotion. 

His  rap  at  the  officer's  door  was  quickly  answered  by 
the  peremptory  words  "  come  in,"  and  now  he  had 
paced  the  whole  length  of  the  apartment  to  the  com- 
missioner's desk  without  observing  the  unusual  pres- 
ence of  a  lady,  closely  veiled,  or  bethinking  himself 
of  the  "  friend  "  announced  as  awaiting  him. 

The  entire  corps  of  prison  officials  surrounded  the 
desk,  and  the  important  documentary  evidence  of  his 
innocence,  together  with  his  liberty  papers,  were  pre- 
sented him  for  his  perusal  and  signature,  after  which, 
turning  to  the  lady  who  had  not  recognized  her  son  in 
the  entrance  of  the  prisoner,  the  commissioner  said: 

"Madame,  I  have  the  honor  of  restoring  to  you 
your  son —  He  was  prepared  to  say  much  more  but 
was  overcome  by  the  scene  his  words  had  produced. 

Throwing  her  veil  aside  with  an  expression  of  in- 
effable tenderness  shining  through  her  tears,  as  the 
sun  may  glance  through  falling  »dn  drops,  Mrs.  Clif- 
ford opened  her  arms  to  receive  her  martyred  son. 

"  My  mother! "  said  Alfred  Clifford,  as  his  head  fell 
upon  her  breast. 

"  My  son!  "  said  his  mother, and  they  were  locked  in 
that  embrace  of  pure  love,  which  plants  its  deathless 
image  in  the  human  soul  from  the  first  hour  of  exist- 
ence, and  which  death  itself  can  never  efface. 

There  were  many  preliminaries  to  arrange  before 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  107 

the  happy  mother  could  bear  her  son  away  triumph- 
antly from  the  gloomy  walls  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul, 
to  her  home  in  the  States.  "  The  world  was  all  before 
him  where  to  choose."  Yet  the  noble-hearted  Clif- 
ford could  not  turn  his  back  with  cold  indifference 
upon  the  human  associations  of  nearly  half  a  lifetime. 

He  felt  great  compassion  for  those  who  were  to  re- 
main behind,  who  had  neither  the  self-consciousness 
of  innocence  to  support  the  hope  of  a  restoration  of 
their  liberties  to  them  here,  nor  encouragements  to 
see  beyond  the  rewards  of  this  world  the  opportuni- 
ties and  possibilities  of  a  life  to  come — whose  hearts 
lay  smouldering  in  the  wreck  and  ashes  of  a  ruin  both 
absolute  and  irredeemable. 

"  Sweet  are  the  uses  of  adversity! "  Forgetful  of 
himself,  and  of  the  unknown  future  opening  at  his 
feet,  Clifford  occupied  the  day  in  his  leave-taking  of 
the  wretched  beings  entombed  for  life  in  this  colossal 
confine,  nor  could  ho  see  the  invisible  ministering 
spirits  who  leaned  above  him  and  hinted  comfort  to 
his  heart,  and  caressed  him  as  they  ever  do  those  who 
have  done  much  through  great  tribulation  for  their 
fellow  beings. 

He  saw  them  not;  but  he  heard  within  his  soul  the 
soft,  sweet  prelude  of  immortal  harmonies  and  knew 
not  whence  it  came. 

The  evening  skies  flamed  bright  with   promise   for 


108  '   A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

the  fair  to-morrow  as  the  carriage  containing  Clifford 
and  his  mother  rolled  away  from  the  sombre  shadows 
of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  and  a  bright  star  sank  out  of 
sight  in  a  bed  of  thick  clouds,  whose  light  would 
never  more  illuminate  this  dark  corner  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

As  dying  embers  mount  on  tongues  of  flame, 
When  by  the  faintest  breath  of  ether  blown; 

So  feeds  the  jealous  heart  upon  a  name — 
A  simple  name — where  nothing  more  is  known. 

Human  love  has  a  variety  of  manifestations  accord- 
ing to  the  elevation  of  its  object,  the  quality  of  its  as- 
pirations and  the  capacities  of  its  subjects  for  indul- 
gence in  this  divine  passion  of  the  soul. 

Jealousy  has  been  called  the  hypochrondria  of  love. 
Having  a  thousand  eyes,  each  of  them  quick  to  see  a 
great  deal  more  than  there  is  to  be  seen,  it  never  stops 
to  inquire  into  any  of  those  little  particulars  which  in 
reality  make  all  the  difference  "  'twixt  tweedle  dee  and 
tweedle  dum;"  but  having  as  many  phases  as  there  are 
shades  of  green,  it  follows  the  blind  lead  of  its  suspi- 
cious fears  and  the  crooked  paths  of  its  disordered 
imagination  and  evil  impulses. 

There  is  a  sentiment  which  passes  for  jealousy  with 
the  superficial  observer,  but  which  is  no  more  than 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  •  109 

righteous  indignation,  such  as  a  loyal  and  devoted 
wife  might  naturally  indulge  upon  the  discovery  of 
her  husband's  inexcusable  infidelities  —  a  crime  dif- 
ficult to  condone  if  conducted  within  a  halo  of  deceit- 
ful attentions  and  apparent  exclusiveness  of  affection 
for  the  party  wronged. 

Distinct,  yet  scarcely  less  criminal  than  these  radi- 
cal deviations  from  virtue  and  right,  are  the  adulter- 
ies of  the  heart;  those  mean  and  contemptible  society 
vices,  those  lapses  from  manly  dignity  and  womanly 
purity,  which  permit  an  endless  variety  of  idle  dalli- 
ances around  the  "  ragged  edges"  of  crime, — examples 
pernicious  and  deadly  to  the  young  and  inexperienced, 
and  the  most  prolific  sources  of  evil  and  crime  in  the 
world. 

The  Almighty  Father  has  said:  "  I  will  have  no  other 
God  before  me ;  for  I,  the  Lord,  thy  God,  am  a  jeal- 
ous God;"  and  the  true  wife,  she  who  is  fitted  to  re- 
spond to  man's  utmost  needs  as  companion  and  help- 
meet, may  echo  this  sentiment  regarding  her  husband's 
domestic  fealty  without  offensiveness  or  blasphemy. 
In  contradistinction  to  this,  however,  is  it  not  pitiful, 
when  plenty  of  crime  exists  outside  the  realms  of 
fancy,  that  the  foul  bird  jealousy  is  capable  of  lay- 
ing and  hatching  her  uncanny  broods  in  the  lofty 
chambers  of  the  immortal  imagination? 

The  jealousy  manifested  by  Hector  Kellogg  had  no 


110  •    A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

• 

foundation  whatever  in  the  reality  of  things.     It  was 

the  grotesque  and  fantastic  conjuring  of  an  imagina- 
tion exercised  only  upon  devising  mischief  and  wicked- 
ness. 

Since  the  discovery  of  the  innocent  card  upon  the 
library  floor,  Hector  Kellogg  had  either  shadowed  per- 
sonally, or  bribed  the  stableboy  to  dog  the  every  foot- 
step of  her  husband.  Wherever  the  Governor  re- 
paired within  the  limits  of  St.  Saul  he  found  his  car- 
riage always  within  call.  His  mind  was  deeply  oc- 
cupied with  the  affairs  of  state,  with  library  labor, 
and  a  multiplicity  of  cares;  and  close  as  was  the 
watch  maintained  over  his  movements  day  and  night, 
he  had  not  observed  anything  peculiar  or  extraordi- 
nary in  it. 

This  was  particularly  rasping  to  Lady  Kellogg,  who 
eagerly  longed  for  a  complaint  from  the  Governor  on 
this  source  that  she  might  confront  him  with  her 
fresh  testimonials  of  his  infidelity.  Had  he  mis- 
trusted half  the  accumulated  "  documentary  evidence" 
secretly  stored  up  against  him,  or  the  multitude  of 
little  traps  set  in  his  path,  he  would  gladly  have  faced 
and  bearded  this  lioness  and  all  her  snooping  frater- 
nals  in  their  several  dens.  He  had  nothing  to  hide, 
and  could  have  answered  his  slanderous  accusers,  as 
did  the  great  Napoleon,  the  base  accusations  of  his 
court:  that  he  had  "no  time  for  dissipations." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  Ill 

With  every  human  apology  a  man  could  desire  to 
cloak  sin  in,  Governor  Kellogg  had  that  nobility  of 
soul,  that  purity  of  heart,  which  no  persuasive  power 
on  earth  could  divert,  no  favoring  circumstances  turn 
into  paths  of  shame.  He  had  no  comprehension  of 
those  guilty  pleasures  which  are  compelled  to  skulk 
around  the  -world  to  find  a  hiding  plage — "Tiltonian 
sins" — which  men  and  women  have  tried  to  dress  up 
in  white  garments  and  make  respectable  word  pict- 
ures of,  but  which  are  invariably  recognized  from 
their  mustela  putorious  odor,  and  hunted  back  to  their 
holes. 

So  much  a  pandemonium  had  his  home  become  to 
him,  that  Governor  Kellogg  was  rarely  to  be  found 
within  its  walls,  save  when  locked  in  his  library.  He 
snatched  his  meals  alone,  and  most  of  his  nights  were 
spent  in  the  executive  chamber.  This  baffled  and 
infuriated  his  wife  beyond  all  bounds,  arousing  a  horde 
of  suspicions  yet  blacker  in  criminalmagnitude.  She 
literally  foamed  with  rage  when  she  heard  his  ap- 
proaching footsteps,  and  believing  the  extreme  mo- 
ment for  action  had  come,  took  into  her  private  coun- 
sels a  number  of  her  most  intimate  friends  who  were 
exceedingly  lavish  with  their  sympathies  and  as  gen- 
erous in  advice. 

This  is  the  fatal  step  with   man   or   woman   under% 


112  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

marriage  bond,  and  must  sooner  or  later  lead  to  the 
complete  disruption  of  the  marital  tie. 

Discreet  men  and  women  with  real  causes  for  sep- 
aration, have  remained  nominally  united  through  life, 
suffering  in  silence  and  alone,  and  without  sympathy. 
With  children  it  would  seem  an  imperative  neces- 
sity; without  them,  the  dignified  attitude  of  self  res- 
pect and  personal  decency  may  require  the  sacrifice. 

When  poisonous  reptiles  have  been  wounded  and 
cannot  turn  upon  their  assailant,  they  have  been  known 
to  recoil  upon  themselves,  fastening  their  deadly  fangs 
into  their  own  bodies  and  dying  from  these  self  in- 
flicted wounds.  It  were  well  if  all  serpents  could  be 
driven  out  of  earthly  Edens  in  this  fashion,  or  better, 
if  the  cruel  slanderers  could  thus  perish  before  prop- 
agating their  vile  slanders. 

It  had  been  over  a  week  since  Hector  Kellogg  had 
seen  the  Governor.  He  had  been  called  out  of  the 
city  on  official  business,  and  she  knew  not  the  hour  of 
his  return.  Of  late  the  library  door  had  been  kept 
locked,  and  anything  unusual,  however  trivial,  which 
raises  the  mercury  of  a  woman's  curiosity  to  boiling 
point,  is  a  dangerous  expedient,  and  one  sure  to  bring 
its  projector  to  grief,  if  practiced  in  the  domestic  thea- 
tre of  home. 

Hector  Kellogg  had  just  obtained  a  duplicate  key, 
*made  from  a  wax  impression  she  had  taken  of  the 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  113 

keyhole,  and  was  now  prepared  to  explore  the  myster- 
ies of  the  Governor's  sanctum. 

Telling  her  servants  she  would  be  out  for  the  day, 
and  taking  all  necessary  precautions,  as  she  thought, 
to  secure  herself  against  surprises,  she  entered  the 
library  through  the  drawing  room  door. 

"At  last!"  said  she  to  herself.  "The  precious  se- 
crets he  thought  so  cunningly  to  bar  from  me,. are 
compelled  to  divulge  themselves,"  and  breathing  out 
defiance  and  scorn  in  a  mocking  laugh,  which  had 
neither  a  mirthful  or  human  tone  to  it,  she  passed 
through  the  door,  secured  it  from  the  inside  and  com- 
menced her  search. 

From  floor  to  ceiling  she  ransacked  with  the  method 
of  fanatical  madness.  Books  were  overhauled,  statuettes 
removed  from  their  pedestals,  and  every  dark  nook 
exposed  to  the  strong  morning  light  in  the  careful 
search  instituted. 

Unremittingly  the  work  continued  till  morning 
waned  to  noon,  and  until  the  sun  flamed  directly 
through  the  western  windows,  lighting  up  the  massive 
cases  of  brilliantly  bound  volumes  which  lined  the 
four  walls  of  this  sumptuous  apartment,  gilding  stat- 
uary and  pictures  and  throwing  the  superb  head  of 
Madame  Roland  in  a  halo  of  sunset  glories.  Still  the 
work  continued  with  indefatigable  zeal.  The  elegant 
furnishings  of  the  oblong  writing  table  which  occu- 


114  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

pied  the  alcove  spaces  of  the  bow  window  were  most 
minutely  inspected ;  yet  after  all  this  laborious  search, 
thorough  as  it  was,  the  lady  looked  haggard  with  dis- 
appointment. She  actually  had  nothing  to  repay  her 
critical  explorations;  and  pale  with  the  day's  excite- 
ment and  fast,  she  stood  defeated  and  irresolute. 

"  Must  she  give  up  the  coveted  secrets  she  believed 
within  reach,  yet  eluding  her  as  if  consciously  on  guard 
and  determined  to  keep  inviolate  the  trust  reposed  in 
them?" 

Recalling  vision  and  thought  from  their  vacuities, 
and  rousing  herself  to  a  last  inventory  glance  over  the 
entire  field  of  her  researches,  suddenly,  and  as  if  by 
demoniac  inspiration,  her  eyes  fell  upon  a  faintly  out- 
lined seam  across  the  base  of  the  Governor's  private 
escritoire,  and  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  darted  over  her 
.  scowling  visage,  fierce  as  the  play  of  lightning  over 
the  dark  brow  of  a  storm  cloud.  It  was  the  moment 
of  triumph  when  she  discovered  a  secret  spring  be- 
neath. Only  a  slight  pressure  and  the  sensitive 
mechanism  responded,  pushing  out  a  deep  drawer, 
orderly  stored  with  papers.  These  she  quickly  un- 
packed and  examined,  under  the  rear  files  of  which, 
carefully  protected,  lay  a  bright  plush  casket. 

"  Ah-ha!  "  said  she,  scarcely  believing  her  eyes,  and 
seizing  it  with  the  avidity  with  which  a  hungry  mastiff 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  115 

seizes  upon  a  well  fleshed  bone.  "  This  looks  as  though 
it  had  a  history." 

The  casket  was  locked  but  the  gold  key  attached 
to  the  handle  soon  revealed  its  hidden  treasures, 
at  sight  of  which  Hector  Kellogg' s  idolatrous  vision 
fairly  danced  in  delicious  delirium,  and  something  of 
the  expression  of  the  Hindoo  worshipper  in  the  pre- 
sence of  his  golden  images  lent  a  transient  gleam  of 
softness  to  her  hard  set  features. 

"  After  all,"  said  she,  "  I  may  have  undervalued  the 
hold  I  have  upon  this  man  an.d  his  attachment  to  me. 
These  jewels  I  believe  he  has  purchased  for  my  birth- 
day, for  who  else  could  wear  such  gorgeous  sparklers 
in  St.  Saul,  and  he  knows  I  love  them.  "  And  there  was 
a  general  settling  of  the  lines,  and  a  purring  expres- 
sion lent  to  the  thin  compressed  lips. 

"  I  will  replace  them  now  that  I  know  of  their  ex- 
istence. If  they  disappear  mysteriously,  Hector  Kel- 
logg will  demand  both  explanation  and  redress.  "  So 
saying,  she  returned  the  casket  as  she  found  it,  pre- 
pared to  trust  the  kind  suspicions  so  newly  kindled  in 
her  breast,  when  another  thought  flashed  over  her. 

"  I  cannot  swear  to  these  unless  I  put  a  private  mark 
upon  them,"  and  the  jewels  were  again  dragged  to  the 
light  and  a  peculiar  and  distinct  mark  made  upon  the 
back  of  their  richly  wrought  setting.  Before  replacing 
them, — doubtless  at  the  suggestion  of  the  same  in 


116  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

spiring  fiend, — the  tray  was  removed  from  its  satin 
bed  for  the  first  time  since  it  was  packed  in  Canada. 
"What  was  it  beneath  which  made  Hector  Kellogg  turn 
ashy  pale — dropping  box  and  jewels  upon  the  floor, 
and  recoiling  as  though  she  had  suddenly  thrust  her 
hands  into  a  bed  of  live  coals? 

In  the  box  below  the  tray,  upon  an  oriental  parch- 
ment, in  illuminative  lettering  was  the  despised  name 
of  "Pearl  LaGrange!  " 

"  So  this  wealthy  gift  is  for  that  low-born  hussy,  is 
it?"  and  the  woman  looked  as  though  reinforced  by  a 
fresh  army  of  plotting  demons. 

"  I  will  trample  her,  and  these,  under  my  feet  into 
a  thousand  atoms  first!  "  and  she  moved  as  though 
about  to  execute  one  part  of  the  threat,  when  she  heard 
the  front  door  close,  and  knew  none  but  her  husband 
could  enter  unannounced. 

Her  blood  fairly  curdled  in  her  veins  to  think  of 
his  finding  her  here ! — a  discovery  which  must  lead  to 
the  utter  overthrow  of  all  future  plans  for  tracking 
him  out;  and,  hastily  securing  and  concealing  the 
jewels  about  her  person  and  thrusting  the  papers  back 
in  mad  confusion  in  the  drawer,  she  closed  it  by  its 
secret  spring. 

At  this  juncture  the  folding  doors  of  the  drawing- 
room  slid  back  and  the  quick  nervous  step  of  the  Gov- 
ernor approached  the  library  door. 


.  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  117 

"  Great  God!  "  she  exclaimed  in  an  audible  whisper, 
"what  shall  I  do?" 

To  escape  unnoticed  seemed  impossible;  and  the 
jewels  inspired  and  rather  courted  a  personal  en- 
counter, much  as  she  deplored  the  necessity  of  being 
discovered  in  this  sacred  sanctum  of  her  husband. 

As  the  door  opened  lady  Kellogg  concealed  herself 
behind  it,  ingeniously  meaning  to  slip  out  unobserved 
if  the  Governor  should  leave  it  thrown  back  and  move 
as  was  his  habit  with  his  back  toward  it — directly  to 
his  writing  table  and  tHe  bow-window  opposite. 

This  time  his  movements  were  eccentric ;  he  turned 
to  close  the  door  and  started  shudderingly  upn  con- 
fronting his  wife,  whose  face  was  horribly  distorted 
with  passion,  and  who  turned  upon  him  with  the  eyes 
of  a  tigress  and  from  whom  he  involuntarily  recoiled, 
so  shocked  was  he  upon  discovering  her  presence  and 
formidable  attitude. 

"Why    Hector    Astore!" — (the   Astore    was   the 

• 

cherished  title  of  her  widowhood  and  was  emphasized 
by  the  Governor  in  a  conciliatory  way) — "how  came 
you  here  and  what  new  devil's  scheme  have  you  been 
concocting  in  my  absence?  Did  I  lock  you  in  by  mis- 
take when  I  went  out  the  other  night,  or  have  you 
forcibly  entered  and  through  what  aperture?  The 
castle  is  quite  large  enough  I  think  to  permit  of  one 
private  apartment  for  its  owner,"  and  with  a  sigh  of 


118  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

weariness,  Governor  Kellogg  wheeled  his  chair  up  to 
his  writing  table  and  gazed  thoughtfully  through  the 
clear  glass  pane,  out  upon  the  restful  green  of  a 
freshly  mown  lawn,  whose  verdure  had  a  peculiar 
tender  loveliness  only  known  to  spring. 

Still  his  wife  stood  sullenly  surveying  him  and  act- 
ually speechless  with  rage.  He  was  sure  he  was 
poising  upon  the  edges  of  a  volcano  which  any  moment 
might  burst  forth,  scattering  the  hot  lava  of  its  pent 
up  furies;  and  he  was  endeavoring  to  be  as  calm  and 
imperturbed  as  possible,  hopin*g  thereby  to  withdraw 
the  charge  noislessly  and  before  the  percussion  cap 
exploded. 

"  How  much  will  you  ask  me  to  vacate?  "  said  the 
Governor.  "  I  have  writing  which  will  occupy  every 
moment  from  this  time  on  to  midnight,  and  you  will 
oblige  me  by  closing  the  door  from  the  outside." 

"  It  is  a  free  country  and  I  propose  to  stand  here 
until  I  know  why  the  drunkard  LaGrange's  daughter 
is  permitted  to  flaunt  her  name  all  over  my  house,  and 
how  much  the  State  appropriates  in  'hush  money  '  to 
its  Governor  for  the  support  of  such  wanton  creature  s 
that  they  may  be  kept  in  finery  and  jewels?  " 

The  Governor  answered  with  peals  of  laughter. 
"  Surely  this  must  be  some  huge  joke  perpetrated 
upon  the  idiotic  credulity  of  this  insanely  jealous 
woman!  "  thought  he. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  119 

"  Pray,  who  is  LaGrange's  daughter?  I  never  heard 
of  the  name  before.  She  mast  be  some  new  bird  you 
preying  vultures  have  discovered  soaring  above  you, 
and  which  your  fowling  pieces — foul  as  their  charges 
are — have  failed  to  bring  down.  LaGrange?  The 
name  dawns  upon  me  vaguely.  However,  I  never  knew 
a  woman  by  this  name.  Tell  me ;  is  she  young  and 
pretty;  or  of  what  kindred  crime  is  she  accused?  By 
all  the  saints,  if  she  is  fair  in  face,  her  character  is 
foul;  and  if  she's  young,  well  formed,  and  fresh  as 
rose-blooms  culled  in  June,  her  name  is  blacker  than  an 
Ethiope's  skin,  and  the  graces  of  her  soul  are  hag- 
gled into  atoms,  rolled  in  the  mire  of  green  eyed  envy, 
and  foot-balled  through  the  streets  (unless  wealth 
stand  on  guard,  brandishing  her  golden  club.)"  And 
the  Governor  lighted  his  cigar,  elevated  his  feet  and 
proceeded  to  brace  himself  against  the  next  poser. 

"  It  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  plead  innocence  con- 
cerning this  new  protege  of  yours.  I  am  not  the  only 
one  aware  of  your  clandestine  interviews,"  and  the 
thin  lips  almost  disappeared  as  the  jaws  closed  upon 
this  biting  sarcasm. 

The  Governor's  good  nature  triumphed  again,  as  he 
replied  in  the  rhetoric  of  Paul : 

"  There  was  given  to  me  a  thorn  in  the  flesh,  the 
messenger  of  Satan  to  buffet  me,  lest  I  should  be  ex- 
alted above  measure." 


120  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Resolved  to  introduce  the  jewels,  Hector  Kellogg 
continued:  "  The  Tongueworts  give  a  reception  to 
General  Evans'  son  a  few  evenings  hence;  the  Gover- 
nor's wife  requires  a  new  set  of  jewelry  for  the  occa- 
sion. How  much  will  the  good  state  appropriate  for 
this  respectable  claim?" 

A  rap  on  the  library  door,  and  a  card  announcing 
"  Louis  Carlisle,  M.  D.,"  interrupted  the  interview. 

"  Show  the  gentleman  in,  Mary,"  said  the  Gover- 
nor; and  Hector  Kellogg  was  compelled  to  withdraw 
after  having  vainly  sought  some  vantage  ground  from 
which  she  could  hurl  a  shot  which  would  make  a  visi- 
ble wound.  She  had  the  coveted  secret  and  its  proof, 
— the  jewels.  She  would  keep  these  till  the  opportune 
moment  for  using  them  as  a  weapon  of  moral  defence, 
and  in  the  event  of  any  personal  emergency  which 
might  arise.  Thus  solacing  herself,  she  passed  out 
of  the  door  as  the  new  physician  of  St.  Saul  entered 
the  presence  of  Governor  Kellogg. 

The  day  was  in  the  gloaming,  and  although  Dr. 
Carlisle  and  lady  Kellogg  brushed  by  each  other 
quite  forcibly,  neither  one  would  have  been  able  to 
recognize  the  other  again  from  this  brusque  introduc- 
tion. 

"  I  believe  I  am  expected  at  the  Governor's  this 
evening?"  said  the  affable  physician,  as  Governor 
Kellogg  extended  his  hand. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  121 

"  You  are;  and  I  am  glad  for  an  interval  of  rest  from 
the  threadmill  of  official  work.  Be  seated  and  have  a 
Havana,"  said  the  prince  of  hosts,  as  he  proffered 
the  doctor  his  selection  from  a  box  of  fragrant  cigars ; 
while  the  servant  lighted  a  cluster  of  gas  burners  and 
withdrawing,  left  host  and  guest  in  the  quiet  possess- 
ion of  the  apartment,  which  only  a  moment  before 
had  given  promise  of  being  both  heated  and  illumi- 
nated by  an  entirely  different  class  of  combustibles. 

The  two  gentlemen  then  entered  into  a  conversation 
upon  a  topic  just  then  very  near  the  Governor's  heart, 
the  declining  health  of  his  beloved  sister,  who  was  an 
inmate  of  the  insane  asylum  at  St.  Saul. 

After  an  exhaustive  professional  consultation,  the 
conversation  lapsed  into  social  themes.  Many  of  the 
most  influential  families  were  mentioned,  and  among 
these,  Col.  and  Mrs.  Veen  and  their  talented  children 
were  enthusiastically  discussed. 

"Your  remarks,"  said  Dr.  Carlisle,  "concerning 
young  Veen,  as  being  constructed  out  of  the  timber 
from  which  heroes  and  reformers  are  made — "bold, 
daring,  ready  to  sacrifice  himself  for  a  principle  or  a 
cause,  reminds  me  I  have  seen  our  heroine." 

"  Pardon  my  obtuseness,  but  this  mutual  heroine  of 
ours  must  be  a  sort  of  ethereal  essence;  a  being  too 
ideal  to  locate  and  too  angelic  to  name.  I  am  skepti- 
cal as  to  her  reality,"  replied  the  Governor. 


122  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  Not  at  all,"  quickly  responded  the  doctor,  "  she  is 
the  most  perfect  child  of  nature  I  ever  met;  and  her 
history  is  very  touching.  Stanley  and  Cecile  Veen 
are  devotedly  attached  to  her;  and  grouping  this 
youthful  trio,  you  have  three  royal  studies  for  an  as- 
spiring  artist  to  build  a  reputation  on.  I  must  con- 
fess Pearl  LaGrange  has  a  radiating  loveliness  about 
her,  which  must  eventually  throw  the  most  brilliant 
and  beautiful  women  in  the  shade,  but  wherein  her 
great  attraction  lies,  no  one  can  define.  Perhaps 
merely  in  her  being  natural  and  without  pretentious; 
claiming  neither  praise  nor  applause  nor  homage  from 
anyone.  I  enthuse  over  her,  since  I  find  it  a  family 
failing,  in  which  my  wife  and  son  more  than  keep 
pace  with  me." 

"  This  is  an  agreeable  state  of  affairs,  certainly," 
said  the  Governor,  "  and  quite  novel  in  St.  Saul — 
could  it  become  epidemic.  It  is  the  rarest  music  to 
hear  praises  of  woman  from  woman's  lips.  I've  met 
and  chatted  with  the  masses  and  there  are  a  few  ex- 
ceptions. One  is  notable,  our  banker's  wife,  Mrs. 
Roland  Clifford,  the  main  pivot  upon  which  the  mighty 
church,  St.  Mark's,  revolves  financially;  the  head  and 
front,  or  rather  the  alpha  and  omega  of  its  charities ; 
a  woman  who  puts  her  name  to  good  causes,  without 
questioning  their  popularity  and  gives  her  strength 
to  any  work  that  is  work  for  humanity.  We  are  fas- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  123 

cinated  by  the  fountain  of  water,  admiring  the  crystal 
jet  as  it  pushes  up  towards  the  skies,  flashing  in  the 
sunlight;  but  it  is  the  turning  point  which  makes  the 
culmination  of  its  beauty — when  the  column  bends 
over  dispersing  itself  in  showers  of  dew,  clothing 
every  blade  of  grass  with  diamonds — that  the  foun- 
tain becomes  really  beautiful.  The  perfect  life,  after 
all,  is  the  life  of  love,  if  only  the  world  could  see  it. 
The  fact  that  God  serves;  that  he  is  the  universal 
servant,— is  the  testimony  to  his  perfection.  Mrs. 
Clifford  is  very  handsome,  but  no  longer  young;  there- 
fore her  beauty  is  tolerated.  However,  by  the  strength 
of  her  purse  alone  she  holds  her  own  in  that  idolatrous 
church.  She  is  very  popular  and  universally  beloved 
— particularly  among  those  of  the  male  persuasion; 
and  if  this  does  not  eventually  send  her  gray  hairs  to 
the  block  it  will  be  because  the  holy  'Sorosis'  can 
neither  make  nor  execute  the  laws  of  the  land,"  and 
Governor  Kellog  smiled  with  a  contemptuous  curl  of 
the  lips. 

"  You  are  a  trifle  severe,  Governor,  with  a  wife  who 
enjoys  universal  popularity  in  our  '  bon  ton  circles,'  " 
said  Carlisle.  "  By  the  way  going  back  to  the  memor- 
able summer  which  unites  our  families  sympatheti- 
cally, on  the  very  evening  of  the  accident,  I  caught 
sight  of  a  lady's  face  through  a  carriage  window, — a 
face  I  have  searched  the  world  over  to  find.  There 


124  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

can  be  no  other  face  like  it  and  I  was  rude  enough  to 
follow  in  the  wake  of  her  carriage  until  I  obtained  a 
second  look  which  assured  me  I  had  made  no  mistake; 
but  the  next  moment  carriage  and  woman  were  lost." 

"  Yet  you  are  not  a  susceptible  young  man?  "  inter- 
rupted the  Governor  playfully. 

"  Not  at  all ! "  said  Carlisle.  "  This  woman  and  I 
have,  entre  nous,  a  very  grave  conscience  fund  to 
adjust.  She  is  really  nothing  to  me,  and  I  am  doubt- 
less a  forgotten  atom  in  her  past  history ;  yet  am  I 
unwittingly  made  the  Nemesis  of  her  destiny;  and 
sooner  or  later,  according  to  the  eternal  fitness  of 
things  our  life  stars  must  enter  the  same  orbit,  and 
when  the  conjunction  takes  place  there  will  be  com- 
motion among  the  neighboring  planets,  or  I  am  no 
astrologer." 

"I  see  you  are  a  student  in  modern  mysticisms,  I 
would  lend  assistance  as  companion  in  its  vast  fields 
of  research,  had  I  the  leisure.  At  present  the  expira- 
tion of  my  term  of  office  is  the  goal.  Then  to  the 
delights  of  my  profession,  and  for  the  aesthetic  liter- 
ary dishes  which  garnish  the  sideboard  of  intellectual 
dainties!  All  is  now  under  the  grinding  wheels  of 
this  political  juggernaut!" 

"  You  do  not  understand  me,  Governor.  My  flight 
into  the  celestial  regions  was  a  little  premature.  Lit- 
erally speaking,  I  am  in  pursuit  of  a  moral  leper, 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  126 

whose  freedom  is  unconstitutional,  whose  breath  is 
pestilential,  and  whose  life  belongs  no  longer  to  herself 
to  cultivate,  but  to  the  emissaries  of  justice." 

"  There  you  are  again,"  said  the  Governor,  jocosely, 
"  off  at  the  antipodes,  while  I  am  left  to  limp  behind 
in  the  fashion  of  an  unfledged  bird  in  the  track  of  an 
aerial  navigator.  Now,  my  dear  sir,  I  have  no  itching 
ears,  no  inordinate  curiosity  regarding  the  life  mys- 
teries toward  which  you  so  vaguely  hint;  but  when  my 
neck  is  out  of  this  official  yoke  of  bondage,  and  you 
require  the  aid  of  keen  scenting  blood  hounds  to  track 
the  foul  stream  to  its  fountain  head,  I  should  enjoy 
nothing  more  than  this  lusty  race,  with  the  profes- 
sional laurels  it  promises." 

"  'Tis  well.  Can  you  carry  a  face  in  your  memory 
after  looking  at  its  shadow? "  said  Carlisle,  as  he 
opened  his  vest  and  went  down  into  the  depths  of  a 
secret  receptacle  for  something. 

"  My  memory  of  faces  rarely  fails  me;  while  I  can 
loose  a  name  as  easily  as  beauty  notes  are  dropped 
out  of  musical  compositions  in  the  indifferent  rendi- 
tion of  a  smattering  performer,"  said  Governor  Kel- 
logg, as  he  took  from  the  doctor's  hand  a  gold  medal- 
lion locket,  set  in  a  filigree  crown  of  delicate  ara- 
besques and  flowers. 

"  Look  critically  now.  I  never  before  entrusted  it 
to  any  mortal's  gaze  since  fate,  like  some  determined 


126  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

minister  of  truth  and  equity,  consigned  it  to  my  keep- 
ing." 

Governor  Kellogg  rose,  holding  the  portrait  under 
the  central  burner  of  the  chandelier.  His  countenance 
changed.  The  locket  fell  from  his  hands;  his  brain 
whirled  and  he  grew  deathly  sick. 

Doctor  Carlisle  sprang  forward  and  helped  him  to 
the  sofa,  offering  him  a  glass  of  water. 

"  Why,  Governor,  you  are  ill !  I  fear  I've  wearied 
you  to-night,  and  that  most  selfishly.  Let's  see, 
your  pulse  lies  deep,  and  that  is  a  good  sign  for  long- 
evity. How  is  the  heart?" 

"  Deep  and  inscrutable  as  is  my  pulse,"  replied  the 
Governor,  affecting  a  sangfroid  not  manifest  in  his 
blanched  face  and  agitated  manner,  as  he  returned  the 
half  drained  goblet  to  the  doctor's  hand.  "Oh  it  is 
nothing.  I  am  overworked.  One  cannot  always  keep 
up,  tensioned  as  I  have  been  for  months,"  and  he  rose, 
yet  pale  and  trembling. 

Doctor  Carlisle  stooped  and  picked  up  the  medal- 
lion, saying  as  he  did  so: 

"  This  looks  like  a  bad  omen  for  my  lady's  pros- 
pects in  your  hands." 

"  I  beg  pardon,  doctor,  but  a  soulless  face  has  some- 
thing shocking  in  its  shadow  merely." 

"  You  have  perhaps  seen  the  lady?  "  suggested  the 
doctor  eagerly. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  127 

Now  there  are  moments  with  the  best  disciplined 
hearts,  no  matter  how  strong  or  how  good  they  may 
be  by  nature,  when  one  wishes,  almost,  for  a  handful 
of  Jove's  thunderbolts,  that  he  might  hurl  them  at 
the  world  and  blot  it  out  of  being. 

"I  have  seen  Socrates'  Xanthippe,  Perdition's 
Queen,  and  Hell's  three  Furies.  What  more  have 
you  to  offer?"  said  the  Governor  with  a  bitterness  of 
tone  which  touched  Carlisle  most  sensitively,  and  the 
latter  consulting  his  watch,  exclaimed: 

"  Why,  is  it  possible  the  night  is  bordering  on  to- 
morrow? I  owe  you  a  thousand  apologies  for  making 
such  a  bore  of  myself;  and,  unless  I  can  do  something 
for  you  professionally,  I  will  best  prove  my  regard  by 
bidding  you  good-night  and  commending  you  to  that 
rest  your  complete  exhaustion  requires." 

"Come  again,"  said  the  Governor  sadly,  as  the  phy- 
sician quietly  withdrew,  leaving  him  with  his  head 
bent  and  his  face  buried  in  his  hands : — and  thus  he 
sat  when  the  gray  dawn  looked  through  the  library 
windows  with  its  cold  face,  reminding  him  his  hours  of 
work  pushed  on  apace,  regardless  of  his  broken  rest, 
and  this  last  blow,  which  had  shattered  forever  the 
already  undermined  palace  of  his  trust.  He  had 
heard  enough; — the  sword  had  fallen  and  the  sun 
gold  had  all  faded  out  of  the  day  for  him.  Now  in  the 
wreck  and  ashes  of  its  ruins,  his  heart  lay  smouldering. 


128  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Yet  such  a  spirit  as  Kellogg' s  never  forgets  that 
man — in  spite  of  all  his  circumstances  and  relations — 
through  the  might  of  his  own  free  will,  is  still  his  own 
master;  creator  of  his  fortunes  and  of  his  destiny. 

Standing  now  in  the  bloom  of  his  years,  with  broad- 
ened culture,  swift  blood,  keen  nerves  and  an  all  con- 
quering imagination,  the  falcon  wings  of  his  genius 
bore  him  far  away  "above  the  dust  of  trivialities." 

But  later  on — how  is  it  then?  When  the  autumn 
has  but  a  few  daisies  left?  It  is  another  thing  to  see 
the  scattered  darlings  trodden  down.  And  later  still, 
dear  reader,  when  the  shadows  have  grown  long,  and 
the  twilight  falls  earlier  then,  far  as  our  eyes  can 

reach,  stretch   the   ice-fields  of  winter,  under  whose 

• 

snowy  shroud  lies  the  quiet  burying  ground  of  all  our 
hopes. 

CHAPTEK  IX. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word 

Society?    Take  this  charade : 
A  hodge-podge,  human  hash  well  stirred 
By  Madame  Grundy  on  parade: 

An  upper  tendom,  "  tony  "  flock 
Of  self  plumed  birds,  fro  m  common  stock  — 
In  short,  a  beau  monde  rank,  chaotic, 
Whose  reign  is  pomp,  whose  rule  despotic. 

Society  has  certain  fundamental  principles  under- 
lying its  delicate  superstructure,  as  essential  to  its 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  129 

health  as  the  roots  to  the  forest  tree,  and  without 
which  it  can  bear  no  fruit. 

The  corner  stone  of  this  edifice  is  virtue,  around 
which  cluster  all  the  elements  of  its  strength. 

Various  organizations  are  framed  under  this  name, 
some  so  radically  divergent  they  cannot  be  considered 
as  belonging  to  the  same  genesis. 

The  best  society  in  the  world  must  have  for  its  basis 
religion,  and  though  there  are  as  many  religions  as 
societies,  it  is  becoming  to  have  a  system  of  faith. 

The  community  of  St.  Saul  claimed  to  be  composed 
of  those  Christian  and  moral  elements  most  desirable  to 
unite  into  an  organized  society;  yet  was  it  the  most 
conglomerate  mass  of  humanity  ever  collected  into 
one  corporation. 

Its  concentrated  wealth  had  erected  magnificent 
temples  for  the  worship  of  God,  edifices  built  in 
the  name  of  Christ  and  charity,  while  the  majority 
of  the  members  had  as  feeble  an  idea  of  the  meaning 
of  the  words  love  and  charity,  as  a  snail  has  of  speed. 

The  moral  warp  of  its  ruling  classes  will  be  best 
understood,  asjwell  as  the  real  motive  actuating  the 
votaries  of  wealth  and  fashion,  by  an  entree  into  the 
elite  circles  on  an  occasion  when  these  characteristics 
shine  forth  in  their  true  colors. 

It  was  two  weeks  after  Easter.  The  spring  opened 
genial  and  promising  at  St.  Saul.  The  moon  was  at 
the  full,  and  the  nights  superbly  clear. 


130  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Invitations  had  been  issued  for  a  "  drawing-room  " 
at  the  elegant  residence  of  the  Misses  Tonguewort, 
given  in  honor  of  the  return  of  the  Secretary's  son 
from  Cambridge,  young  Lucien  Evans. 

The  soiree  was  to  include  all  ages.  The  rich  dresses 
expressly  gotten  up  for  the  occasion,  the  diutinguished 
persons  who  were  to  lend  their  grand  presence,  and 
the  anticipated  tete-a-tetes  of  the  sentimental  youths, 
had  paraded  their  brilliant  visions  around  bewitched 
pillows  since  the  cards  were  issued. 

The  Misses  Tonguewort  were  three  single  ladies,  of 
uncertain  age,  conventionally  thin  and  angular  and 
entirely  indebted  to  the  arts  of  their  Parisian  Modiste 
for  the  forms  they  prided  themselves  upon.  Being 
tall  and  square-shouldered,  they  were  able  to  carry  an 
incredible  amount  of  dress  displayed  ( and  concealed ) 
and  the  more  drapery  they  disposed  about  their  crane- 
like  necks,  the  greater  the  illusion.  They  had  an 
erect  carriage  and  enjoyed  that  peculiarly  wiry,  tripe- 
like  tenacity  of  life,  which  passes  for  health. 

They  were  the  neighbors  and  intimate  associates  of 
Mrs.  Governor  Kellogg;  belonged  to  one  of  the  oldest 
and  wealthiest  families  of  St.  Saul  and  their  social  in- 
fluence was  huge.  Their  entertainments  were  among 
the  most  recherche  given  at  the  state  capital,  and 
were  graced  by  the  presence  of  the  Governor's  family, 
the  state  officials  and  their  families.  The  officers  and 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  131 

their  ladies  from  the  military  post  gave  what  the 
artist  in  describing  his  picture,  would  call  "  tone,"  to 
the  affair. 

St.  Saul  was  remarkable  for  its  fine  looking  men 
and  ill-favored  women.  A  beauty — real  when  un- 
adorned— was  the  exception ;  but  as  society  here  as- 
sumed that  "  fine  feathers  make  fine  birds,"  and  the 
ladies  produced  such  superb  effects  with  ther  toilets 
that  the  connoiseur  could  find  no  fault,  the  paradox 
seemed  established.  Shades  were  pledged  to  blend,  and 
tints  to  harmonize  with  the  dark  or  fair  countenance. 
So  here  one  art,  at  least,  the  art  of  facial  decoration, 
had  attained  perfection  under  the  sun. 

O  the  bondage  and  the  care 
In  what  these  bodies  wear, 
And  how  we  dress  our  hair, 
The  hauteur  style  and  air 
Would  drive  one  to  despair, 
But  for  the  hope  and  prayer 
To  Heaven,  where  all  is  fair, 
To  keep  out  fashion  there! 

The  moon  full-orbed,  climed  up  the  dome  of  night, 
trailing  her  ethereal  garments  and  flashing  out  her 
brilliant  train  of  stars,  as  a  conscious  queen  might 
tread  the  royal  tapis  of  her  throne,  and  shake  out  the 
rich  folds  of  her  sparkling  robes. 

At  the  fashionable  hour  the  mansion,  brilliantly 
lighted,  was  thrown  open  to  its  invited  guests.  Ladies 
and  gentlemen  alighting  from  their  carriages  swept 


132  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

over  the  marble-floored  vestibule,  through  the  spacious 
halls  with  their  jasper  paneled  wainscotting  into  the 
grand  salon,  whose  rich  furnishings  were  lighted  up 
in  a  manner  to  display  the  collection  of  rare  paintings 
and  statuary  and  bric-a-brac  to  the  best  advantage. 

Until  a  late  hour  the  guests  were  arriving  and 
making  the  delightful  tour  of  the  rooms,  filled  with 
the  select  cullings  of  St.  Saul. 

Young  Lucien  Evans  was  the.  center  of  attraction, 
and  around  him,  in  animated  conversation  gathered 
a  coterie  of  youths  and  maidens.  A  familiar  counte- 
nance has  just  been  added. 

"Mr.  Veen,"  said  Rubie  Clark,  extending  her  del- 
icately gloved  hand,  "where  do  you  keep  yourself?  I 
supposed  you  were  off  to  your  Eldorado,  long  ago." 

"  O  no,"  said  Stanley  Veen,  smiling.  "  I  have  not 
yet  located  the  delightful  place  you  mention.  How- 
ever my  plans  are  developing  rapidly  this  evening 
since  I  find  the  programme  has  all  been  mapped  out 
for  me  by  my  friends.  Had  I  taken  them  into  my 
counsels  my  movements  could  not  have  been  more 
accurately  anticipated.  Really,  one  will  soon  share 
with  society  his  very  thoughts." 

"  Is  this  a  colony  scheme  Veen1? "  said  young  Evans, 

"Most  assuredly!  I  will  not  establish  an  Eden 
alone,"  said  Stanley.  "  The  folly  of  that  was  de- 
monstrated over  five  thousand  years  ago." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  133 

"  I  understand  you  are  thoroughly  revolutionary  in 
theory,  and  I  suppose  that  St  Saul  will  lose  all  of  her 
pauper  element,  the  poor  house  be  abolished,  no  more 
home  missionary  work  be  done ;  and  no  more  charity 
funds  raised  and  disbursed.  Why  boy,  you  will  pre- 
pare the  earth  for  annexation  to  Paradise;  solve  the 
social  problem  deeper  than  Soloman's  riddle,  and  in- 
augurate the  Millenium !  Give  me  a  few  days  notice 
in  advance.  I  want  a  bit  of  a  spree  on  an  aristocratic 
scale  before  we  are  all  colonized,  ground  up  together 
and  put  on  plebeian  diet  with  only  one  plate  between 
us." 

"  My  good  friends,"  said  Stanley  Veen,  "you  are  all 
at  sea  on  this  social  question,  and  are  firing  shots  with- 
out definite  aim.  Settled  as  our  ideas  of  aristocracy 
and  plebeianism  seem,  they  might  be  improved  by  be- 
ing milled  again  and  run  a  few  times  through  a  seive. 
The  true  distinction  might  thus  be  given  the  eye,  if 
too  abstruse  for  mental  digest. 

"  If  there  are  those  among  us  who  still  value  life, 
liberty  and  advancement,  let  them  act  now;  for  those 
who  counsel  destruction  in  North  America  under  the 
existing  state  of  affairs  are  incapable  of  construction. 
Those  who  urge  revolution  do  not  understand  evolu- 
tion. A  war  between  classes  means  national  chaos, 
and  out  of  the  smoke  from  the  ashes  of  your  cities, 
some  brute  man  would  arise,  with  armed  fiends  around 


134  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

him,  that  he  might  crush  into  abject  slavery  every 
man  and  woman  who  has  a  thought  above  mere  exist- 
ence. Thus  may  history  repeat  itself. 

"  The  one  way  we  urge  is  this :  The  produ  cers  must 
incorporate  to  employ  themselves;  to  own  their  own 
lands;  to  control  their  own  services;  to  exchange  their 
own  products;  to  issue  their  own  money,  and  to  put 
every  head  of  family  into  his  or  her  own  home,  free 
from  tax,  rent  and  interest.  This  is  the  direct  and 
business  way  of  solving  the  problems  of  to-day. 

"  It  is  amusing  how  absurdly  people  ruminate  upon 
things  they  have  never  taken  time  to  study;  and  how 
disordered  one's  imagination  becomes,  narrowed  down 
into  prescribed  limits,  or  made  to  run  in  a  particular 
groove. 

"  Pity  the  souls  who  live  by  rule, 
Whose  hearts  are  like  a  stagnant  pool." 

"  Our  Republicanism  in  not  the  idle,  foolish,  slip- 
shod principle  which  says:  'Everyman  for  himself 
and  the  evil  one  catch  the  hindmost.'  It  is  the  spirit 
of  humanity  which  prompts  the  most  intelligent,  cul- 
tivated and  prosperous  to  go  to  the  help  of  those  who 
have  sate  hitherto  on  the  ground.  Religion,  too, 
must  retrace  its  steps  towards  nature  and  man.  Noth- 
ing counts  but  service;  and  that  counts  always.  It  is 
ready  to  say,  not  only  that  he  who  ministers  is  the 
greatest,  but  that  ministering  is  the  end  of  religion, 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  135 

not  alone  a  manifestation  of  it.  Character  is  not  a 
means  to  perfection;  it  is  perfection.  Nor  is  it  enough 
to  call  it  a  passport  to  felicity;  it  is  felicity  itself. 
Men  and  women  can  never  be  good  until  they  are  use- 
fully and  agreeably  employed. 

"  Those  who  belong  to  the  inductive  school  deplore 
the  waste  of  enforced  idleness,  and  plan  to  incorpo- 
rate and  to  systematize  employments,  so  that  there 
cannot  be  a  willing  arm  and  a  kindly  brain  unoccu- 
pied, or  a  useful  labor  which  is  not  honorable.  The 
subject  is  an  immense  one.  I  hope  I  have  made  my- 
self clear." 

"Yes,"  replied  young  Evans,  with  a  pompous 
shrug  of  his  shoulders,  "clear  as  mud.  But  we  will  be 
charitable  enough  to  believe  you  understand  yourself." 

"As  for  charity,"  responded  Veen,  "I  have  not 
found  it  in  St.  Saul,  outside  the  lids  of  a  dictionary. 
The  word  sounds  fresh.  Did  you  import  it  from  Cam- 
bridge? I  certainly  ought  to  feel  flattered  that  my 
life  plans  interest  the  public  so  deeply;  but  I  could 
understand  it  better  if  I  had  ever  taken  the  dear  scan- 
dal mongers  for  my  spiritual  confessors  and  advisors." 

"Now,  Veen,"  said  young  Clark,  "  you  are  not  going 
to  take  umbrage  at  anything  we  have  said.  I'm  sure 
we  all  wish  you  success;  and  though  we  may  not  see  fit 
to  invest  in  your  utopian  enterprise,  we  will  bid  you 
God-speed,  in  honor  of  your  level  headed  sire." 


136  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Stanley  Veen  bowed  courteously  and  turned  to  greet 
General  Evans,  an  intellectual,  thoughtful  looking 
man,  who  had  just  entered. 

"Where  is  Governor  Kellogg?"  said  the  General. 
"  I  have  elbowed  this  entire  crowd  in  search  of  him> 
and  might  have  imagined  myself  at  the  races,  if  I  had 
not  met  you." 

"  I  called  upon  the  Governor  to-day,"  said  Stanley, 
41  but  it  did  not  occur  to  me  I  might  see  him  here  this 
evening.  In  truth,  he  was  so  much  indisposed  I  did 
not  think  of  anything  but  his  changed  appearance." 

"Ah!  I  was  not  aware  of  his  being  out  of  health, 
though  I've  noted  his  distraught  air  of  late,  and  the 
absence  of  his  usual  high  spirits.  In  almost  any  other 
person  the  change  would  not  be  so  pronounced.  I  do 
not  wonder  he  is  fatigued.  He  has  held  one  unbroken 
levee  at  the  executive  chamber  for  politicians  all  the 
fall.  And  next  comes  the  senatorial  contest.  With 
his  new  book  and  demands  of  society  I  am  surprised 
the  man  keeps  a  level  cranium." 

"  Have  you  known  the  Governor  so  long,"  said 
Stanley,  "without  observing  his  indifference  to  so- 
ciety? He  is  fond  of  his  friends,  and  loves  nothing 
better  than  to  give  them  a  feast  at  his  own  table;  but 
I  have  not  met  him  at  an  entertainment  the  past  win- 
ter, and  such  a  man  as  he  cannot  afford  a  crush  like 
this  every  evening.  It  is  a  waste  of  ones  best  forces." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  137 

"And  the  net  receipts  come  next  morning  in  the 
shape  of  a  dull  headache  and  ennui — poor  capital  for 
the  bread  winners  to  work  upon."  responded  the  Gen- 
eral. "  How  do  you  manage  to  fritter  away  your  time 
with  these  chattering  magpies." 

"I  make  a  sacrifice  of  myself  one  evening  in  the 
year  to  appease  my  maternal  ancester,  and  put  Cecile 
and  I  'square'  on  the  Grundy  record.  We  recreate 
usually  in  the  open  air,  and  enjoy  boating  and  riding, 
choosing  our  associates.  We  have  neither  of  us  im- 
bibed the  false  notions  of  life  we  are  compelled  to 
subscribe  to." 

"  How  did  you  and  your  sister  become  such  utter 
reprobates,  with  such  a  stiff,  aristocratic  parentage?" 
inquired  the  General. 

"  I  think  everyone  misunderstands  my  father,"  re- 
plied Stanley.  "Then  this  word  'aristocracy '  is  capable 
of  so  many  interpretations.  I  cannot  understand  why 
it  should  be  made  equivocal  any  more  than  the  word 
'virtue.'  What  do  these  people  know  of  true  aristoc- 
racy? They  have  no  breeding,  and  the  majority  of 
them  no  culture.  Their  conversation  betrays  their 
stupidity.  Their  ideas  of  life  are  stilted  and  vapid. 
Wealth  is  their  standard.  Style  is  God,  and  a  union 
with  wealth  the  goal!" 

"  But  this  cannot  last  always,"  said  General  Evans. 
"  It  is  the  social  chaos  which  inevitably  follows  rapid 


138  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

growth.  There  will  be  crystalization  and  order  after 
we  pass  through  these  pangs  of  transformation!  The 
curtain  will  drop  upon  these  mammoth  puppet  shows. 
There  are  solid  men  and  women  here,  and  they  will 
come  to  the  front.  At  present  they  are  smothered 
with  horse  jockeys  and  hen  heads.  The  man  who  has 
money  is  king." 

"  Even  though  he  may  be  the  son  of  a  squaw,  or 
have  for  the  angel  of  his  household  a  dusky-browed 
Commanche,"  said  Stanley. 

"Whist!"  said  the  General.  "You  will  make  me 
ashamed  of  myself  for  consenting  to  an  entertainment 
in  honor  of  my  son.  If  I  drop  out  suddenly,  please 
suggest  to  Mrs.  Evans  and  Lucien  that  I  may  be  with 
the  Governor,  and  they  can  call  for  me  en  route 
home." 

"  Here  is  Mrs.  Kellogg  now,"  exclaimed  Stanley,  as 
both  he  and  the  General  hastened  to  salute  the  lawful 
wife  of  their  cherished  friend. 

Mrs.  Kellogg  was  magnificently  attired,  and  hung 
upon  the  arm  of  the  attenuated,  but  fluffily  decked  out 
Miss  Tongue  wort,  senior  member  of  the  triangular 
house  of  Tongueworts. 

Mrs.  Kellogg  carried,  imbedded  in  an  exquisite  lace 
handkerchief,  a  solid  gold  vinaigrette,  which  she 
made  conspicuous  every  few  minutes  by  vigorously 
applying  it  to  the  blunt  extremity  of  her  un  celestial 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  139 

pug  nose.  Miss  Lou  Tonguewort  brandished  an  im- 
mense Japanese  fan,  marvellously  designed,  which  she 
persisted  in  flopping  in  the  faces  of  her  defenceless 
guests,  creating  an  impression  of  single  blessedness 
most  uncomfortable  and  shivery. 

"I  regret  to  hear  the  Governor  is  not  well  this 
evening,  and  we  shall  not  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
him,"  said  General  Evans. 

"O  he  is  not  seriously  ill  by  any  means.  The  men 
put  on  more  airs  than  a  chimney  sweep  and  more 
moods  than  a  romantic  school  girl.  The  Governor  is 
like  all  the  rest  of  you  men;  but  we  ladies  cannot  stay 
at  home  always  for  the  sake  of  humoring  your  whims. 
I  told  my  liege-lord  that  I  should  not  apologize  for 
his  absence  to-night."  And  the  stereotyped  smile,  or 
rather  smirk  (there  was  nothing  natural  about  it) 
played  in  a  sinister  manner  around  her  coarsely  slit 
mouth. 

"  Why  don't  you  tell  the  truth,"  interposed  Miss 
Tonguewort,  "and  say  our  dear  Governor  has 
denounced  high  toned  society  as  '  shoddy,'  and  is  at 
present  writing  sonnets  to  rustic  beauties  who  have 
nothing  to  recommend  them  but  a  painted  doll's  head, 
and  a  plebeian  ancestry?"  And  the  sharp  nasal 
organ  tried  to  get  up  on  its  grissle,  while  the  thin  lips 
curled  contemptously. 

"Monstrous!"  responded   the  General.     "This  is 


140  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

going  too  far,  ladies!  A  grim  kind  of  a  joke  to  crack 
on  Governor  Kellogg!"  And  the  color  rising  to  his 
temples,  the  General  continued:  "  Though  Alecto 
herself,  mounted  upon  Bucephalus,  were  to  canvass 
the  city,  hissing  from  her  every  serpent's  tongue  this 
tale,  it  would  be  stamped  upon  as  the  firebrand  of  an 
incendiary !  "  And  General  Evans  involuntarily  closed 
his  coat  at  the  top,  as  though  about  to  take  leave  of 
the  insolent  hostess. 

Here  Mrs.  Kellogg  gave  Miss  Tonguewort  a  warn- 
ing wink;  but  the  wormwood  dipped  tongue  wagged  on. 

"  By  the  way,  General,  who  is  this  new  female 
deity?"  And  the  weazen  faced  spinster,  concealing 
her  claws,  awkwardly  nestled  closer  to  the  General,  as 
she  endeavored  to  be  playful.  "  Is  she  to  be  spoken 
of  as 

'  Posessed  of  all  those  glowing  charms 

That  fired  the  Trojan  boy; 
And  kindled  love  with  war's  alarms 

Around  the  walls  of  Troy?  ' 

She  has  turned  half  the  heads  in  St.  Saul,  and  enjoys 
the  reputation  of  having  saved  the  lives  of  Governor 
and  Mrs.  Kellogg,  hunchbacks,  and  so  on  ad  infinitum. 
We  Eves  cannot  enjoy  our  domestic  Paradises  until 
we  know  who  this  delectable  rival  may  be,  this  real,  or 
more  likely,  imaginary  Hebe,  who  has  a  dozen  nom 
de  plumes,  but  who  stubbornly  refuses  to  unmask,  pre- 
ferring to  remain,  sub  rosa.  Now,  General,  you  can 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  141 

enlighten  us  I  know?  "  And  cuddling  yet  nearer  the 
dignified  statesman,  she  nearly  forced  him  through 
the  drapery  of  an  alcove,  when  he  suddenly  recovered 
himself,  drew  his  Roman  figure  up  to  its  full  height 
and  looked  upon  both  the  ladies  with  supreme  disgust. 

" I  have"  no  amazons  on  my  list!"  said  he;  and  bow- 
ing coldly,  he  abruptly  withdrew. 

"Mr.  Stanley  Veen,"  pursued  Miss  Tonguewort, 
determined  not  to  be  foiled,  "  here  is  the  card  of  an 
unknown  Venus  whose  trail  bafiies  us!  Mrs.  Kel- 
logg and  I  have  ransacked  the  directory  for  this,  for 
years  back,  but  we  give  it  up  as  a  conundrum.  This 
is  a  serious  matter  with  us,  which  already  affects  the 
welfare  of  individuals  in  the  court  circles  of  St.  Saul." 
And  the  little  eyes  snapped  significant  glances  at  Mrs. 
Kellogg,  as  their  possessor  held  out  an  innocent 
bit  of  card  board,  which  felt  limp  and  clammy  in 
Stanley's  hand. 

Poor  Stanley  Veen,  while  deciphering  the  blurred 
card,  was  gorgonized  by  a  pair  of  lynx  eyed  women. 
Changing  color.  Stanley  replied: 

"  I  see  nothing  remarkable  in  this  card,  ladies." 
And  Stanley  Veen  returned  the  card. 

"  There  are  social  subtleties  not  supposed  to  be 
understood  by  very  young  people  like  yourself,  Mr. 
Veen.  They  belong  to  criminals,  for  whom  there  is 
no  reclaiming  power  in  this,  or  the  world  to  come.  If 


142  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

you  knew  the  person  named  on  this  card  you  could 
not  comprehend  the  methods  of  female  witchery  con- 
nected therewith  for  the  avowed  purpose'of  breaking 
up  sacred  and  happy  homes."  Miss  Tonguewort 
looked  almost  as  though,  with  the  aid  of  a  vegetable, 
known  to  excite  the  lachrymal  glands,  she  might  shed 
a  tiny  tear  drop;  however,  the  eye-lids~remained  like 
the  other  parts  of  her  exposed  cuticle,  arid  and  dusty. 
Stanley  Veen  looked  stunned,  but  he  answered: 

"  Ladies,  I  do  not  understand  the  strong  terms  you 
have  used  in  connection  with  the  name  upon  that 
card.  I  am  well  acquainted  with  a  young  girl  of  the 
same  name,  but  was  not  aware  there  were  two  names 
like  this  in  the  world.  I  will  investigate  the  matter, 
as  the  one  whom  I  have  the  honor  of  knowing  cannot 
be  the  person  referred  to  in  your  dark  insinuations. 
No!  I  think  the  tongue  of  a  slanderer  is  terribly 
wicked,  but  not  capable  of  such  moral  turpitude  as 
this!  I  would  not  submit  to  the  thought  a  moment,  for, 
though  their  is  plenty  of  breathing  gas  for  the  mean 
millions,  there  is  not  enough  for  the  inventor  of  such 
a  falsehood  to  live  upon  one  moment  after  Stanley 
Veen  shall  track  him  out! "  and  young  Veen,  pale  and 
profoundly  agitated,  without  so  much  as  bowing  to 
the  ladies,  who  both  shuddered  at  his  words,  moved  on 
and  joined  his  sister  who  seized  Stanley's  hand,  and 
with  her  sweet  smile,  presented  him  to  Mr.  Hugh 
Carlisle. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  143 

"  Louisa  Tongue  wort,"  said  Mrs.  Kellogg  with  a 
bitter  expression,  "  Stanley  Veen  and  that  girl  are 
in  liaison!  Did  you  observe  the  pallor  of  his  face  and 
the  fire  in  his  eyes?  There  was  something  terrible  in 
it!" 

"  Guilty,  is  he! "  said  Miss  Tonguewort,  "  and  here 
is  the  Governor,  your  husband,  and  the  good  Lord 
only  knows  how  many  more,  all  in  her  meshes !  Well, 
as  the  guardians  of  society ;  I  feel  we  are  bound  to  be 
thorough  in  our  researches;  and,  of  coarse,  to  be  very 
circumspect  for  in  handling  pitch  one  might  get 
soiled.  I  have  never  had  a  shadow  on  my  name,  and 
my  old  father  would  rise  out  of  his  grave  if  he  thought 
any  vile  man  had  ever  indulged  an  evil  thought  con- 
cerning one  of  us  girls." 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  Mrs.  Kellogg,  "  that  Stanley  Veen 
is  dangerous  to  make  an  emeny  of;  but  my  knowledge 
of  this  secret  of  his,  puts  him  in  my  power.  I  will 
yet  bring  that  painted  courtesan  at  my  feet,  and  humble 
the  pride  of  the  Kellogg  family,  by  trailing  the  name 
of  their  idolized  son  and  brother  in  the  dust!  Look 
at  Stanley  and  Cecile  Veen,  both  the  sworn  friends  of 
Pearl  LaGrange !  Do  you  recall  the  disgraceful  scenes 
at  Col.  Veen's  orrCecile's  birth-day?" 

"  You  mean  the  disappearance  of  this  LaGrange 
creature  and  Stanley,  and  the  effort  of  the  proud  Veen 
family  to  hide  the  affair  V  " 


144  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Kellogg.  "I  would  never  have 
imagined  a  thing  so  bold  if  I  had  not  seen  it  with  my 
own  eyes.  Stanley  was  engaged  in  a  game  of  croquet 
and  suddenly  from  some  given  signal  of  this  girl's, 
he  dropped  mallet  and  ran  to  the  thicket,  and  La 
Grange  seized  her  hat  and  ran  for  him,  both  dis- 
appearing at  the  same  moment,  and  neither  of  them 
again  putting  in  an  appearance.  At  the  banquet,  both 
Col.  and  Mrs.  Veen  looked  as  though  they  were  ready 
to  die  with  mortification,  and  Cecile  talked  on  in  one 
uninterrupted  stream  to  keep  the  guests  from  missing 
her  brother.  But  it  was  too  transparent.  The  brazen 
and  disreputable  performance  was  witnessed  by  more 
than  half  the  company,  and  I  tell  you  now,  neither 
Stanley  Veen,  with  all  his  dignity  and  studied  im- 
pressiveness  of  manner,  nor  the  low-born  daughter  of 
the  drunkard  LaGrange,  with  her  advertised  beauty, 
have  hoodwinked  the  people  of  St.  Saul  regarding  the 
real  state  of  affairs.  I  have  induced  the  Dessarts  on 
Tipton  avenue  to  take  their  daughters  out  of  her 
music  class;  and  I  will  see  that  she  does  not  worm 
herself  into  any  more  of  the  best  familes."  And  the 
brow  of  Mrs.  Kellogg  darkened,  and  the  real  fiendish- 
ness  of  her  character  for  a  moment  broke  through 
the  smiling  mask. 

"  Let  me  present  you  to  Sir  Hugh  Carlisle"  said 
Miss  Mollie  Tonguewort  to  Mrs.  Kellogg,  in  a  patron- 
izing way. 


^  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  145 

"  I  am  most  happy  to  meet  you,"  said  Mrs.  Kellogg 
forcing  a  smile  to  her  lips  yet  curled  with  the  contor- 
tions of  jealousy. 

"  We  had  hoped  to  see  your  father  and  mother  here 
this  evening,"  said  Miss  Lou  Tonguewort 

"  I  am  the  bearer  of  their  sincere  regrets,  my  father 
having  a  particular  engagement  with  the  Governor 
this  evening."  replied  Carlisle. 

Mrs.  Kellogg  winced,  and  Tonguewort  continued: 

"O  these  politicians!  They  are  never  at  leisure, 
and  when  they  do  go  into  society  they  are  sure  to  leave 
their  manners  at  home.  I  have  the  greatest  sympathy 
for  their  wives!  All  expected  to  meet  Governor  Kel- 
log  this  evening,  and  he  makes  a  particular  engage- 
ment with  our  new  comer,  Dr.  Carlisle,  and  General 
Evans  takes  '  French  leave.'  Dr.  Carroll,  always  our 
main  dependence,  he  also,  is  closeted  with  the  Gover- 
nor to-night." 

"How  do  your  folks  like  our  minister  and  the  people 
at  St.  Mark's?"  inquired  Mrs.  Kellogg  of  young 
Carlisle. 

"O  very  much!  The  congregation  is  the  largest  I 
ever  saw.  There  is  not  a  vacant  seat  in  the  galleries." 

"  I  think  Dr.  Carroll  an  elegant  gentleman,"  said 
hostess  number  three,  just  added  in  the  circle.  "  In 
fact  the  ladies  are  all  in  love  with  him.  It  is  such  a 
pity  his  wife  is  so  dowdyish.  She  hasn't  one  particle 


146  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

of  style  about  her,  and  she  botches  the  little  girl  up 
in  the  same  fashion. 

Here  supper  was  announced,  and  Mrs.  Kellogg  and 
young  Carlisle  led  the  way  out. 

At  table,  the  hostess  introduced  Lucien  Evans  as 
the  honored  guest,  and  young  Carlisle  as  "the  hero 
who  stopped  the  Governor's  runaway  horses,  in  the 
memorable  summer. 

This  announcement  caused  the  young  gentleman  to 
flush  and  to  seize  a  piece  of  cutlery  with  which  he 
rapped  his  audience  into  silence  as  he  said: 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen :  I  am  a  hero- worshipper, 
but  no  hero.  I  met  with  the  adventure  of  my  life  in 
your  city.  I  was  young  then  and  in  delicate  health. 
Perhaps  my  vision  was  impaired,  for  I  recall  nothing, 
after  getting  under  the  hoofs  of  the  horses,  save  the 
face  of  a  beautiful  being,  who  gathered  me  up  and,  as 
I  thought,  translated  me  bodily  to  Paradise!  " 

All  laughed  and  clapped  louder  than  before;  and 
again  the  sharp  ring  of  cutlery  was  head.  Order  being 
restored,  the  young  orator  continued: 

"  When  I  awoke,  the  houri  and  paradise  had  van- 
ished, and  I  was  in  one  of  the  wards  of  St.  Mary's 
Hospital,  my  father  watching  tenderly  over  me.  For 
more  than  a  year  I  believed  myself  the  favored  sub- 
ject of  a  miracle.  But  I  am  assured  my  rescuer  was 
not  a  celestial  visitant,  but  a  reality,  and  the  loveliest 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  147 

girl  in  St  Saul.  The  romance  of  the  affair  begins  to 
interest  me." 

This  was  followed  by  a  request  for  the  name 
of  the  heroine ;  and  all  but  Mrs.  Kellogg  looked  eager. 
Her  lips  moved  nervously. 

"  You  will  have  the  name,  will  you?  "  said  Carlisle. 
"  Wait  until  I  pour  a  bumper  of  Adam's  ale,  and  then 
let  us  drink  to  the  health  and  prosperity  of  her  to 
whom  two  important  personages,  besides  your  humble 
speaker  owe  their  present  existence." 

The  glasses  were  filled,  save  the  one  Mrs.  Kellogg 
held.  Carlisle  attempted  to  take  it  from  her  hand; 
but  she  held  it  with  a  vise-like  grip,  saying,  with 
asperity : 

"  Excuse  me  from  joining  in  this  toast  The  subject 
is  well  known  to  me,  and  I  do  not  enthuse."  The  wife 
of  Governor  Kellogg  looked  as  though  she  had  swal- 
lowed a  dose  of  aloes. 

Every  eye  was  upon  her,  puzzled,  yet  prepared  to 
follow  her,  in  the  same  fashion  as  a  flock  of  sheep 
will  follow  one  which  has  entered  a  gap  in-  a  fence. 

Carlisle  was  the  impersonation  of  grace  and  ele- 
gance; and  he  held  himself  so  erect,  one  could  not 
have  seen  the  slight  protuberance  between  his  shoul- 
ders, which  had  been  so  prominent  as  to  give  him  the 
name  of  "  hunchback." 


148  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

The  glass  of  water  was  lifted,  all  waiting  for  the 
magic  name. 

"  To  my  unknown  fair  Miss— 

Every  ear  was  attentive,  every  eye  upon  the  speaker, 
when  to  the  amazement  of  all,  he  was  seized  by  Cecile 
Veen,  who  entreated  him  not  to  give  the  name  of  the 
modest  girl  publicity. 

"  I  am  a  friend  to  this  girl,  and  her  name  shall  not 
be  tossed  from  lip  to  lip.  She  has  been  recently  orph- 
aned, and  does  not  go  out  into  society.  Respect  her 
feelings  and  mine.  She  is  a  real  heroine,  but  she  is 
not  for  common  talk  in  the  world." 

Mrs.  Kellogg  writhed  like  a  serpent,  in  her  efforts 
to  appear  unconcerned.  The  Misses  Tonguewort 
hissed  in  response  to  Cecile  Veen,  who  pushed  back 
her  plate  saying: 

"  I  have  dined." 

"I  surrender"  said  Carlisle.  "I  thought  to  make 
my  fair  unknown  come  forward  and  allow  me  to  place 
the  laurel  wreath  upon  her  brow.  I  meant  no  harm," 
he  said,  addressing  Cecile. 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,  said  Cecile,  "  but  I  have  heard  to- 
night that  which  had  better  ne'er  been  said,  if  false- 
hood can  be  punished.  Come  and  see  us ;  we  will  intro- 
duce you  to  the  girl  whose  name  I  deem  too  sacred  for 
these  people  to  bandy.  The  whitest  soul  must  suffer 
from  such.  Stanley  left  hours  ago.  '  Tis  pitiful 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  149 

there  are  no  better  subjects  for  the  masses  than  those 
furnished  by  the  scandal-mongers." 

"  That  Mrs.  Kellogg  interests  me,"  said  young  Car- 
lisle to  Cecile  Veen. 

"You  do  not  mean  to  say  she  attracts  you?"  said 
Cecile. 

"  No — and  yes;  I  hardly  know  how  to  define  the 
feelings  inspired  by  her  presence.  She  attracts  and 
repels  me.  She  is  a  person  of  great  power,  either  for 
good  or  evil;  and  such  souls  always  make  me  sad.  She 
evidently  assumes  to  be  a  variety  of  things  she  is  not; 
and  my  heart  goes  out  to  her  with  the  strongest  sen- 
sations of  pity,  feelings  which  almost  make  me 
ashamed  to  confess  them. 

"  Her  position  is  threatened,"  responded  Cecile. 

" In  what  way?"  asked  Carlisle. 

"  They  say  a  divorce  is  in  the  perspective.  I  have 
not  heard  her  speak  respectfully  of  the  Governor  in 
the  past  year,  and  her  aim  seems  to  be  to  undermine 
him  in  the  hearts  of  the  people." 

"She  will  never  succeed!"  said  Carlisle. 

"  Never! "  and  yet  her  influence  is  so  great,  and  the 
social  material  she  has  to  handle  is  so  plastic,  I  trem- 
ble for  anyone  who  falls  into  her  hands.  She  can 
ruin  them,  soul  and  body,  for  she  is  as  unscrupulous 
as  she  is  influential." 


150  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  I  want  to  study  her,"  said  Carlisle.  "  She  is  phe- 
nomenal; end  I  always  enjoyed  a  problem.  Besides 
she  may  need  just  such  a  little  lever  as  I  shall  prove 
to  be,  to  pry  up  her  purposes,  and  show  her  how 
naughty  they  are." 

"  You  look  like  working  a  moral  reform!  Scarcely 
seventeen,  and  your  subject  thirty-five  or  forty.  Doc- 
tor Carlisle  is  jovial;  but  his  son  is  a  joker!  I  imag- 
agine  I  see  you  reforming  a  professional  society 
mountebank,"  laughed  Cecile.  "  Do  not  attempt  it." 

"  Supposing  Hugh  Carlisle  exercised  a  little  influ- 
ence himself.  What  then?" 

"Ah!  You  mean  you  might  reform  her?  I  \vould 
not  discourage  so  noble  a  purpose.  Yet  it  would  seem 
to  me  impossible  of  accomplishment.  But  if  you  are 
seriously  in  earnest — a  fact  I  do  not  readily  credit — 
I  say  try  it  young  man !  And  may  God  and  his  angels 
support  the  laudible  effort." 

Here  Col.  Veen  interrupted  them  by  telling  Cecile 
they  had  best  go  home,  and  let  the  carriage  return  for 
her  mother,  who  would  remain  at  some  secret  society 
conclave. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  151 

CHAPTEK  X. 

When  reason  abdicates  the  throne  of  mind, 

0'  what  a  world  of  beauty  is  undone! 
Thoughts,  roam  at  random,  and  clear  vision  blind, 

Inquires  of  darkness,  brasking  in  the  sun! 

The  Maison  de  Sante,  a  private  hospital  for  the 
insane,  was  a  noble  edifice,  situated  at  High  Banks. 

The  grounds  were  terraced  on  the  river  front,  to 
the  water's  edge,  and  excursionists,  passing  down  the 
river  were  never  weary  of  feasting  their  eyes  upon  the 
green  velvet  staircase. 

The  institution,  though  a  refuge  for  those  "  who  had 
eaten  of  that  insane  root  which  takes  the  reason  pris- 
oner," was  not  conducted  as  are  many  of  our  modern 
schools  of  persecution  for  the  insane.  The  officers  in 
charge  were  humane,  and  the  nurses  under  the  stric- 
test orders  to  guard  their  helpless  patients  against 
cruelty. 

It  was  the  last  of  June.  The  woods  were  full  of 
beauty.  The  cloudless  morning  lay  mirrored  upon 
the  shimmering  surface  of  the  river. 

At  the  river's  hem,  in  this  sequestered  spot,  a  boat 
had  landed  with  a  party  of  four  young  people.  As 
they  mounted  the  terrace  they  turned  their  faces  to 
note  the  changing  view  at  every  graduated  height. 

"  Did  you  know,"  said  Hugh  Carlisle,   "  this  is  a 


152  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

gala  day  at  the  Asylum,  and  all  of  the  mild-mannered 
lunatics  will  be  allowed  to  air  and  sun  themselves. 

"  Good!  "  said  young  Evans.  "  It  will  be  as  inter- 
esting as  the  uncaging  of  a  menagerie.  I  enjoy  look- 
ing at  maniacs.  It  is  actually  a  temptation  to  play 
mad  for  a  time  and  avail  one's  self  of  absolute  rest  in 
a  palace." 

"  Kest,  did  you  say?  "  interrupted  Pearl  LaGrange. 
"  You  have  discovered  little  in  the  faces  of  the  mad,  if 
you  accuse  them  of  restfulness.  They  are  bundles  of 
quivering  nerves;  and  if  you  get  near  enough  to 
examine  their  faces,  though  they  look  sleep-hungry 
enough,  they  have  a  wild  staring  expression,  like  hunted 
animals.  They  seem  forever  in  search  of  some- 
thing they  cannot  find.  I  do  not  care  to  meet  any  of 
the  poor  creatures.  The  memory  of  those  I  have  seen 
makes  me  shudder.  I  always  wish  I  had  the 
power  of  helping  them  out  of  their  deranged  fleshly 
tenements,  and  because  I  have  not,  their  presence  is 
a  reproach  and  horror  to  me. 

"  You  do  not  think  that  the  soul  of  an  insane  being 
is  shattered?  "  said  Hugh  Carlisle. 

"Certainly  not!  I  do  not  believe  it  is  in  the  least 
impaired;  only  arrested  in  its  progress.  The  soul  is 
indestructible;  but  its  manifestations  are  controlled 
by  physical  conditions." 

"  What  of  the  idiot's  soul?  "  said  Carlisle. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  153 

"  O,  it  is  all  right,  and  may  be  as  grand  and  beauti- 
ful as  the  soul  of  Daniel  Webster.  It  is  simply 
crippled,  denied  a  normal  manifestation  of  its  God  ' 
given  powers.  But  here  we  are,  loitering  behind,  and 
Cecile  stands  at  the  summit,  waving  her  handkerchief. 
Isn't  she  a  glorious  girl  ?  "  said  Pearl,  her  whole  heart 
in  the  words. 

"  I  know  but  one  her  equal,"  said  Carlisle,  "and 
when  I  say  she  is  worthy  of  her  companionship,  I  have 
said  the  utmost  in  the  praise  of  both.  I  must  confess 
she  and  Lucien  Evans  are  the  handsomest  pair  I  ever 
saw.  It  seems  to  me  God  himself  ought  to  look  down 
in  pride  upon  them."  And  the  sensitive  lips  of  Carlisle 
trembled  with  emotion. 

"Yes;  a  fine  physique  makes  a  pleasing  address 
always;  but  beautiful  spirits  are  not  the  invariable 
occupants  of  such  grand  flesh  and  blood  castles. 
The  symmetrical  soul  invariably  throws  a  halo  of 
loveliness  over  the  plainest  exterior,"  said  Pearl, 
thinking  of  Hugh's  fragile  form. 

Here  their  friends  signalled  to  indicate  the  pres- 
ence of  something  interesting  on  the  heights. 

Hugh  extended  his  hand  to  Pearl,  and  the  two  made 
a  rapid  ascent;  not  too  rapid  for  a  stranger  and  tour- 
ist, with  sketch-book  in  hand,  to  note  the  brilliant 
beauty  of  the  girl,  and  the  expression  of  purity  and 
benevolence  which  lighted  up  the  handsome  counte- 
nance of  her  youthful  escort 


154  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Enamored  with  the  animated  face  of  Pearl,  the 
stranger  closed  his  sketch-book  and  followed,  the 
shrubbery  enabling  him  to  disappear  now  and  then, 
and  cover  his  pursuit. 

The  building  was  a  triple-gothic  structure,  with 
high  and  shapely  defined  arches  and  clustered  col- 
umns over  which  the  luxuriantly  leafed  ivy  draped  in 
meshes  of  vivid  green. 

The  patients  were  scattered  over  the  grounds  with 
visitors  and  friends,  so  none  but  an  expert  physiog- 
nomist could  distinguish  the  sane  from  the  insane. 

"  There  is  a  born  artist  among  these  maniacs,"  said 
HugK,  addressing  Pearl  La  Grange,  "who  has  culti- 
vated a  talent  for  painting,  and  she  is  frequently  out 
making  sketches." 

"I  hope  we  can  see  her! "  exclaimed  Pearl. 

"  Do  you  know  she  is  of  gentle  birth,  has  many 
friends,  and  the  story  of  her  madness  is  the  most 
touching  one  I  ever  heard.  She  has  delineated  some 
of  the  most  heavenly  faces,  but  throws  them  aside, 
renewing  the  effort  with  a  higher  type  each  time; 
only  to  discard  and  turn  their  faces  to  the  wall,  and 
draw  again  upon  her  imagination." 

"  I  have  heard  my  father  speak  of  her,' '  said  Car- 
lisle. "  She  is  one  of  his  new  patients,  and  he  is  greatly 
interested  in  her,  for  she  is  the  sister  of  Governor 
Kellogg." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  155 

"I  saw  her  once,"  said  Evans.  "She is  the  widow 
of  a  gallant  officer  killed  in  the  struggle  between  the 
states.  Their  only  offspring  was  a  very  promising 
boy  of  fifteen,  and  it  seems  to  me  he  met  with  some 
awful  fate  which  caused  her  to  lose  her  mind." 

"What  became  of  him?"  asked  Cecile. 

"  It  is  a  long  story.  Perhaps  Evans  can  relate  it," 
said  Carlisle. 

"I  heard  it  from  the  Governor's  own  lips,"  said 
Lucien.  "  I  may  not  remember  the  details,  but  their 
recital  made  an  impression  on  me,  and  I  have  since 
desired  to  see  the  mother,  whose  anguish  for  her  lost 
boy  caused  reason  to  succumb.  * 

"  Mrs.  Reid  was  living  in  New  York  City.  Her  son 
was  spending  his  vacation  with  her,  and  their  home 
was  at  the  time  enlivened  by  a  number  of  friends. 

"  So  endearing  were  the  relations  between  this 
mother  and  son,  he  never  passed  her  without  throw- 
ing his  arms  around  her,  and  bestowing  caresses. 
This  is  what  made  the  mystery  of  his  disappearance 
utterly  inexplicable. 

"  The  last  day  of  their  lives  together  had  been  de- 
lightful. After  dinner,  Mrs.  Reid  went  to  her  room 
for  a  nap.  How  long  she  had  been  sleeping  she  could 
not  tell,  but  in  a  semi-conscious  state  she  heard  her 
door  open,  recognized  her  boy  at  her  bedside,  felt  his 
critical,  scanning  gaze,  then  soft  kisses  upon  her  lips 


156  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

and  brow;  then  the  steps  receded,  and  profound  sleep 
ensued. 

"  The  moment  she  awoke,  however,  a  presentiment 
of  evil  took  posession  of  her,  and  leaping  from  her  bed, 
she  called  wildly  for  her  boy.  He  was  not  to  be  found 
in  that  mighty  metropolis;  and  though  neither  money 
nor  pains  were  spared  in  a  search,  never,  from  that 
hour  has  Eddie  Reid  been  seen  or  heard  from." 

"  He  may  have  met  some  terrible  fate,  and  his  body 
and  all  knowledge  of  the  crime  hidden  away,"  said 
Pearl. 

"  Perhaps — yes.  The  secret  is  with  God,"  said 
Lucien.  "  It  was  just  as  though  he  stepped  into  the 
land  of  shadows.  The  poor  mother  never  gave  up  the 
search,  till  the  light  of  reason  went  out.  For  more 
than  a  year  the  lamp  was  kept  burning,  and  the  front 
door  stood  ajar  to  welcome  her  child,  the  mother 
never  relinquishing  her  watch.  A  group  of  boys  pass- 
ing under  her  windows,  a  merry  voice  or  whistle,  and 
she  was  instantly  on  the  street  in  quest  of  her  child. 

"  Always  before  renewing  her  search  she  knelt  at 
her  son's  deserted  bedside  and  prayed  to  God  to  lead 
her  to  him :  and  it  is  a  little  singular  she  did  not  lose 
her  faith  in  God  before  she  lost  her  senses.  But  she 
remains  wonderfully  clear  upon  the  subject  of  religion 
and  art." 

"  But  here  is  the  Grotto,"  said  Evans,  "and  the  great 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  157 

Shade  Kock  under  which  we  are  to  unpack  our  literary 
budget;  and  now  let  us  arrange  ourselves  so  that  we 
can  imagine  our  audience  disposed  in  a  semi-circle 
around  us  in  this  natural  amphitheatre,  as  did  the 
Greeks  in  the  time  of  Homer.'' 

"  What  have  you  brought  us  to-day,  Hugh  ?  "  said 
Pearl,  who  had  seated  herself,  and  already  commenced 
sketching. 

"  I  regret  to  say,  for  want  of  time  to  prepare  an 
original  paper,  I  have  come  like  an  empty  vase  to  the 
fountain,  expecting  to  be  fed  from  well  springs  of 
knowledge  around  us. 

Here  a  succession  of  shrieks  greeted  their  ears. 
The  young  people  fairly  trembled  with  the  horrible 
vibrations,  the  peculiarity  of  which  are  remarkably 
delineated  in  Weber's  Maniac  W  altzes. 

Just  at  this  juncture  the  stranger  who  had  followed 
the  young  people  came  running  towards  Pearl  and 
Lucien,  saying  a  fire  had  been  discovered  in  one  of 
the  halls,  and  had  so  excited  the  inmates  of  the  cells 
that  they  shrieked,  throwing  everything  into  a  state 
of  confusion,  and  visitors  had  been  warned  out  of  the 
enclosures,  except  such  as  were  rendering  aid. 

"I  will  offer  my  services,"  said  Hugh,  who  disap- 
peared with  Lucien  at  his  heels. 

The  girls  followed,  determined  to  supplement  their 
efforts,  if  occasion  required. 


158  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

As  Pearl  and  Cecile  emerged  from  the  copse,  they 
saw  smoke  and  flames  issuing  from  the  tower  of  the 
main  structure.  The  inmates  had  been  removed  to 
adjacent  buildings,  and  every  effort  was  now  concen- 
trated upon  saving,  if  possible,  the  splendid  edifice. 

A  gentleman  rushed  excitedly  across  the  park,  call- 
ing wildly  for  a  ladder,  and  pointing  to  a  grated  AVIII- 
dow  over  an  iron  balcony,  against  which  a  lady's  face 
was  closely  pressed,  and  from  which  she  looked  in 
mute  appeal  upon  the  appalled  spectators. 

The  voice  was  Hugh's,  and  Pearl's  marvellous  pre- 
•  sence  of  mind,  together  with  her  characteristic  prompt- 
ness of  action  in  emergencies,  inspired  her  to  fly  to 
his  aid. 

Arrived  at  the  scene,  she  realized  the  impossibility 
of  making  an  entrance  through  the  iron-barred  case- 
ment in  time  to  rescue  its  occupant. 

Pearl  could  hear  the  roar  of  the  flames,  and  the  air 
was  heated  round  her,  while  the  wind  drove  sparks 
and  fire-brands  everywhere.  One  fell  at  her  feet, 
attracting  her  attention  to  a  stake,  already  burning, 
from  which  a  clothes  line  fluttered. 

As  quick  as  thought  Pearl  tore  the  rope  from  its 
fastening,  secured  one  end  of  it  around  her  waist, 
gathered  up  the  slack,  and  reaching  young  Evans  bade 
him  hasten  with  her  to  the  entrance. 

"  Now,"  said  Pearl  passing  the  extremity  of  the  rope 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  159 

around  Lucien' s  body,  "  do  as  I  bid  you.  There  is  not 
an  instant  to  be  lost!  Two  flights  of  stairs,  then  to 
your  left.  The  room  against  the  tower  has  but  one 
door,  you  cannot  miss  it" 

Pearl's  memory  always  served  her  faithfully.  She 
had  pupils  in  the  superintendent's  family,  and  had 
often  climbed  the  tower  with  them  to  get  the  view  from 
High  Banks  of  St.  Saul. 

Lucien  Evans  was  not  ambitious  to  make  a  hero  of 
himself  at  the  expense  of  life  and  beauty;  but  it  was 
the  bayonet  push  of  an  emergency  he  could  not  dodge; 
so  he  obeyed  orders.  But  no  sooner  had  he  disap- 
peared than  Pearl  regretted  she  had  not  taken  his 
place  and  left  him  in  hers,  at  the  foot  of  the  stair- 
case. 

Moments  were  long  minutes  now.  The  rope  seemed 
endless,  Lucien  not  yet  having  given  a  perceptible 
pull.  The  fire  was  gaining  in  fury. 

"What  if  Lucien  should  be  smothered!"  thought 
Pearl,  as  she  rapidly  unfastened  the  rope  from  her 
waist,  knotted  it  securely  around  the  baluster  and 
bounded  up  the  staircase  which  was  filled  with  dense 
smoke. 

So  firm  and  reliant  was  her  step,  and  so  swiftly  had 
the  ascent  been  made,  the  girl  had  reached  the  sec- 
ond landing  before  the  smoke  compelled  her  to  feel 
for  the  rope.  Carefully  now  she  followed  its  lead,  an 


160  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

occasional  flame  revealing  the  way  as  it  flashed  across 
the  open  door.  A  moment  more  and  she  had  entered 
the  apartment. 

"  Lucien ! "  she  cried. 

"Here  I  am,"  he  said.  "The  lady  must  have  been 
rescued.  I  can  find  nothing  but  the  bare  furniture." 

Here  Pearl  came  near  falling  over  some  object 
which  blocked  her  way. 

•'Here  she  is!"  cried  Pearl.  "She  must  have 
swooned.  The  smoke  is  stifling.  It  seems  I  do  not 
breathe.  I  have  gathered  her  up.  She  is  as  light  as 
a  feather.  Come,  O  come  instantly,  or  we  are  lost!" 
Pearl,  endowed  with  superhuman  strength  to  match 
the  courage  of  her  heart,  groped  with  her  biirden 
through  the  hall,  and  down  the  staircase ;  while  Luc- 
ien, blind  and  nearly  smothered,  dragged  heavily  after; 
nor  did  he  realize,  till  all  was  over,  that  he  had  de- 
cended  the  two  stories  of  the  burning  building  empty 
handed,  while  Pearl  had  pushed  on  in  advance,  with 
something  human  she  had  picked  up  in  the  awful 
darkness  of  that  smoking  sepulchre. 

Crash!  went  the  tower  behind  them,  but  Pearl  had 
reached  the  last  step. 

"We  have  saved  her! "  exclaimed  young  Evans. 

"  We  are  not  sure  of  having  more  than  the  body," 
said  Pearl,  whose  failing  strength  was  suddenly  re- 
newed in  discerning  the  voices  of  Hugh  and  Cecile. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  161 

"  Here  they  are,  thank  God,"  said  Hugh,  while 
Pearl  dropped  with  her  burden,  more  dead  than  alive, 
upon  the  threshold. 

The  light  revealed  a  lady's  face,  upturned  and  mo- 
tionless. Evans  exclaimed: 

"Good  heavens!  This  is  the  Governor's  poor  sis- 
ter, and  she  is  dead!" 

"Keep  her  head  low,"  said  Pearl,  as  Hugh  lifted 
her  into  his  arms  and  took  her  to  the  surgeon's  office, 
while  Evans  addressed  himself  to  Pearl,  who  was  now 
evidently  suffering  the  reactionary  effects  of  her  pow- 
erful nervous  strain.  Conveyed  to  a  place  of  safety, 
the  party  vied  with  each  other  until  the  remedies  love 
suggested  restored  both  strength  and  calmness. 

"  The  tower  and  the  south  porticoes  are  gone,"  said 
Carlisle,  who  returned  from  a  tour  of  inspection ;  "but 
the  flames  are  under  control,  and  two-thirds  of  the 
edifice  will  be  saved;  You  should  have  seen  the  sur- 
prise of  the  superintendent  when  I  told  him  Mrs.  Reid 
was  left  to  barn  up  in  the  tower." 

"  How  is  our  patient?  "  said  Pearl,  who  was  not  sure 
Bhe  had  done  more  than  to  save  the  body  from  being 
cremated. 

"Mrs.  Reid  has  opened  her  eyes  and  is  rallying 
rapidly,"  said  Cecile.  "  I  think  the  hospital  officials 
would  like  to  share  the  glory  of  your  brave  rescue  of 
Mrs.  Reid,  but  they  cannot,  for  Hugh  has  dispatched 


K2  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

a  private  messenger  for  the  Governor,  and  will  re- 
main until  he  comes;  and  their  gross  carelessness 
•cannot  escape  exposure." 

The  sinking  sun  sent  his  red  beams  streaming  over 
the  little  party  as  Hugh  descended  the  banks  and 
joined  them,  homeward  bound. 


CHAPTEE  XI. 


Have  you  heard  of  earth's  marvelous  flower, 

That  reticent  child  of  night's  sun, 
Which  gladdens  no  landscape  or  bower, 

Nor  revels  day's  sweetness  upon, 
Which  comes  in  the  noon  of  the  night, 
A  glorified  presence  in  white, 

A  lily  of  Paradise,  blown 

From  gardens  of  God,  angel-sown, 
To  open  its  golden-disc  eyes, 
And  die  in  the  hour  of  surprise  ? 

When  the  beautiful  shutters  of  day, 

Have  closed  against  gardens  of  bloom ; 
When  the  world's  magna-fioral  display 

Hides  its  face  in  night's  vase  of  perfume, 
Like  a  gem  in  an  Ethiop's  ear, 

A  star  flaming  out  of  a  cloud, 
Doth  this  spiritual  blossom  appear 

In  the  pearl  of  its  lily-white  shroud. 

Reader,  have  you  ever  looked  upon  that  vision  of 
floral  loveliness,  the  night  blooming  Cereus?  If  you 
have,  and  your  soul  is  alive  to  the  symbols  of  immor- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  163 

tality,  have  you  not  felt  your  senses  tingle  as  though 
God  had  just  laid  a  visible  finger  upon  you? 

Look  into  the  vista  of  its  convolute  corolla,  for  the 
perspective  is  wonderful  and  one  may  gaze  into  its 
heart  through  soft,  radiate  petals  till  the  open  ring 
narrows  to  the  tiniest  puncture,  imbedded  deep  in  the 
calyx.  Here  a  delicate  shadow  envelopes  the  closing 
leaf  scroll  and  the  revelation  is  complete.  The  shadow 
along  the  vista  typifies  the  "  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of 
Death."  The  stignia  of  its  pistil  is  a  miniature  palm 
tree  to  mellow  the  effulgent  glories  of  its  consumma- 
tion. It  may  say  more;  it  may  say  less,  according  to 
the  perceptions  of  the  beholder;  but  if  it  bloom  within 
your  ways,  go  prostrate  your  soul  before  it,  and  wor- 
ship the  Infinite  mind  which  created  such  a  wealth  of 
wonders. 

The  LaGrange  cottage,  at  the  close  of  a  sultry  July 
day,  peeped  through  its  trellis  of  white  roses  with  the 
same  meek  expression  which  it  had  always  worn.  Like 
its  sincere  occupants  it  presented  the  status  of  its  pos- 
sessions. 

For  her  pupils,  their  families  and  friends,  Pearl 
had  planned  an  ovation  to  welcome  the  chaste  presence 
of  this  floral  guest,  already  announced  by  the  swelling 
bud. 

Cecile  Veen  had  united  with  Pearl  in  putting  the 
little  cottage  in  order.  Even  aunt  Meg's  wardrobe 
had  undergone  inspection. 


164  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

One  circumstance  threatened  to  detract  from  the 
happiness  of  the  evening.  Stanley  and  Hugh  were 
absent  from  St.  Saul,  the  former  far  off  on  the  shores 
of  Olmira  Bay,  the  latter  spending  his  vacation  in 
Canada.  However,  a  dearer  presence  to  Pearl  was 
near. 

Doctor  Carlisle  had  promised  to  come  and  bring 
with  him  his  convalescent  patient,  Mrs.  Reid,  who, 
since  the  shock  of  the  fire,  had  improved.  There  is  a 
superstition  attaching  to  sudden  recovery  of  reason, 
singularly  verified  in  the  speedy  demise  of  the  sub- 
ject thus  restored. 

Mrs.  Reid  had  been  removed  to  the  Governor's, 
where  she  had  every  tender  attention.  She  seemed 
to  have  no  memory  of  the  asylum ;  nor  did  she  refer 
to  her  past  life;  she  seemed  to  have  taken  up  life  pre- 
cisely where  she  left  it.  The  romance  of  her  rescue 
occupied  her  thoughts,  and  as  speedily  as  her  health 
permitted  she  was  granted  an  introduction  to  the  dar- 
ing girl.  This  new  theme  furnished  study  for  her 
pencil.  With  her  brother  and  Dr.  Carlisle,  she  anti- 
cipated being  at  the  LaGrange  cottage  on  the  evening 
of  the  opening  of  the  wonderful  flower. 

During  the  busy  preparations  at  the  cottage,  where 
two  innocent  girls  were  absorbed  in  arranging  the 
homely  appointments  in  such  manner  as  to  produce 
the  finest  effects,  a  far  different  scene  was  transpiring 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  165 

at  the  Governor's  mansion.  The  actors  were  also  two 
women,  past  the  season  when  age  can  be  disguised. 

Hector  Kellogg  and  Louisa  Tonguewort  had  been 
closeted  together  off  and  on  for  more  than  a  week,  and 
if  two  confederates  of  his  Satanic  Majesty  could  abide 
in  each  other's  presence  for  such  a  period  without 
hatching  a  brood  of  vipers,  the  walls  of  purgatory 
would  appreciably  shrink  for  want  of  support. 

The  doors  were  securely  fastened,  and  the  ladies 
stood  before  a  full  length  mirror,  trying  on  two  som- 
bre suits,  with  the  complete  paraphernalia  worn  by 
the  gentle  sisters  of  charity. 

"  How  do  I  look?"  said  the  elder  Tonguewort,  ad- 
justing the  folds  of  her  sable  robe  and  her  beads  and 
cross  pendant  at  her  side. 

"Elegantly!  "  replied  her  pal.  "  I  would  never  be 
able  to  identify  you,  not  in  the  brightest  noon-day. 
Tell  me,  Lou,  is  this  white  band  low  enough  on  my 
forehead?" 

"  Yes,  plenty.  But  these  costumes  make  one  look 
hideously  old.  I  feel  as  if  I  am  going  to  prison. 
How  trying  these  bonnets  are.  I  should  '  denounce 
the  world  and  its  vanities,'  if  I  had  to  wear  this  fun- 
ereal costume." 

It  was  singular  lady  Kellogg  did  not  recall  by  the 
reflection  she  cast  in  the  mirror,  a  previous  donning 
of  this  very  disguise  to  execute  an  errand  yet  darker 


166  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

and  more  criminal.  The  world  around  her,  and  that 
good  which  overcometh  evil,  was  to  be  congratulated 
that  she  did  not,  but  blundered  into  the  face  of  the 
executioner  of  her  destiny  with  the  tell-tale  robes 
upon  her. 

You  have  ordered  Piccard  to  come  precisely  an  hour 
later.  Do  you  think  him  entirely  trustworthy?  " 

"Perfectly!"  said  Miss  Tongue  wort.  "He  has 
been  our  coachman  for  over  twenty  years,  and  knows 
nothing  but  to  be  faithful." 

"  It  is  singular,"  continued  Hector  Kellogg,  "  that 
I  have  never  met  this  Doctor  Carlisle?  His  visits  are 
invariably  made  in  the  evening.  Mrs.  Veen  tells  me 
he  raves  about  the  beauty  of  the  LaGrange  girl;  and 
no  doubt  his  visits  here  are  ostensibly  to  inquire  for 
Mrs.  Reid,  but,  in  reality,  to  discuss  this  fine  piece  of 
anatomy  with  the  Governor.  How  stupid  Mrs.  Carlisle 
must  be  not  to  see  through  this.  A  deluded  wife  ex- 
cites one's  pity. 

.  "  But  for  General  Evans"  interrupted  Tonguewort, 
"our  moral  reform  work  would  have  been  without 
flaw.  We  cannot  be  responsible  for  the  congregation 
doctor  Carroll  attracts.  Mrs.  Evans  has  taken  a  stand, 
and  if  the  General  refuses  to  support  her,  he  will  go 
down  in  the  same  political  wreck  with  the  Governor. 
To  remove  the  smirch  from  the  gubernatorial  chair, 
it  is  stated  that  young  Evans  is  affianced  to  the  '  beau- 
tiful '  music  teacher." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  167 

"  Never  you  mind,"  replied  Mrs.  Kellogg,  lifting  her 
chin  with  supreme  disdain.  "Both  General  and  Mrs. 
Evans  have  given  the  young  man  to  understand  that 
if  he  ever  appears  in  public  with  this  Pearl,  he  will  be 
disinherited." 

"  Do  not  nauseate  me  further,"  said  Miss  Tongue- 
wort.  "There  will  be  one  advantage  in  this  dis- 
guise of  ours — we  shall  not  be  compelled  to  recognize 
them,  nor  the  august  Cassius  himself.  But  yours  is 
so  difficult  a  face  to  disguise.  Suppose  the  Governor, 
•who  has  penetrated  all  your  masks,  recognizes  you? 
By  all  the  saints  in  glory,  if  he  does,  you  will  see  me 
vanish.  I  go  solely  to  see  the  flower,  without  giving 
eclat  by  my  presence,  or  abetting  your  scheme  for 
uncovering  your  husband's  infidelities.  You  are  to 
make  a  careful  inventory  of  your  rival's  charms  to- 
night. How  early  will  Piccard  post  the  bills?  It 
fairly  makes  my  hair  stand  on  end  to  think  what  a  sen- 
sation this  will  produce.  You  are  as  reckless  as  you 
are  unscrupulous.  Remember,  if  darkness  and  dis- 
guises shield  us,  Piccard  will  be  questioned."  And 
Miss  Tongue  wort's  compressed  lips  visibly  paled  at 
the  thought. 

"  You  are  a  coward,  Louisa  Tonguewort." 

"  The  bell  startled  both  ladies,  who  appeared  guilty 
and  confused. 

"What  will  you  have,  Mary?"  said  lady  Kellogg, 
through  the  key-hole. 


168  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"Doctor  Carroll  sends  up  his  card." 

"  Tell  him  I  am  out.  After  eight,  I  am  at  the  Long- 
worthy's  soiree." 

When  the  servant  delivered  this  message,  the  divine 
looked  perplexed.  "  Is  it  possible  she  has  forgotten 
the  disbursement  of  the  charity  money?" 

Before  leaving  he  wrote  the  following  note: 

"DEAR  MRS.  KELLOGG: 

I  have    conferred   with   the 

Belief  Association,  and  find  they  have  been  powerless 
to  act  for  our  parish  poor  for  want  of  funds.  A  number 
of  deaths  are  recorded.  As  this  money  was  committed 
to  your  keeping,  I  am  convinced  that  you  have  anti- 
cipated the  duties  of  the  Association.  I,  therefore, 
await  with  anxiety,  your  report  regarding  this  most 
sacred  church  matter. 

Your  brother  in  Christ, 

DEWITT  CARROLL." 

As  Hector  Kellogg  finished  her  pastor's  note,  she 
gave  a  parrot  laugh.  Reader,  distrust  that  man  or 
woman  who  is  incapable  of  laughter.  She  had  spent 
the  money,  believing  that  charity  began  at  home. 

In  the  deepening  twilight,  through  the  window  lat- 
tice of  the  La  Grange  cottage,  floated  the  melody  of  a 
pure  soprano  voice  accompanied  by  a  guitar. 
i  •-.  The  flower  had  opened  and  its  delicate  breath  per- 
fumed the  waves  of  song. 

Pearl's  fingers  wandered  carelessly  over  the  strings 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  169 

of  the  old  Scotch  guitar,  while  Lucien  Evans,  on  a 
low  stool  at  her  feet,  seemed  lost  in  thought 

The  love  he  had  for  Pearl  was  sentimental,  poor  and 
meagre,  in  comparison  with  hers.  Self-love,  pride 
and  arrogance,  were  ruling  passions  of  the  young 
man's  soul,  to  which  his  love  for  Pearl,  great  as  it 
seemed  to  him,  but  played  a  subordinate  part. 

Pearl  had  lived  so  naturally  and  healthfully,  apart 
from  the  conventionalisms  of  fashion,  the  world  was 
much  more  than  it  seemed  to  her  naive  glance;  and 
impossibilities,  endless  and  vast  lurked  everywhere  in 
nature  and  life.  She  had  yet  to  meet  with  love's  first 
disenchantment. 

While  this  happy  group  were  whiling  away  the 
moments,  the  dark  figure  of  a  man  stealthily  ap- 
proached the  cottage,  dropped  upon  his  knees  and 
crawled.  Upon  reaching  the  building,  he  rose  to  his 
feet,  and  attached  a  placard  near  the  entrance  to  the 
cottage,  upon  the  side  illuminated  by  the  street  lamp. 

The  parchment  was  black,  and  the  words  in  white 
letters  upon  it  were  unholy  enough  to  have  drawn 
extinguishing  fires  from  Heaven,  and  were  designed 
to  be  read  by  all  in  St.  Saul  attracted  thither  by  the 
flower.  But  in  this,  Satan  was  not  to  be  gratified. 

BEWARE  OF  THE  NIGHT  BLOOMING  CEREUS! 
THE  PLANT  is  AN  OLD  WITCH!  THE  BLOOM  is  A 
YOUNG  SORCERESS!  AND  THE  INTERESTS  OF  THE 
HIGHEST  OFFICE  IN  THE  GIFT  OF  THE  STATE 
LANGUISH  AT  THE  FEET  OF  A  COURTESAN! 


170  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Such  countless  shapes  of  evil  haunt  the  night 
And,  like  the  bat,  hide  horrors  'neath  their  wings- 

If  justice  tracked  and  brought  all  to  the  light, 
Joy  would  be  sorrow's  jest  for  fortune's  flings. 


"You  have  wound  a  goodly  clue."    Shak. 


As  Piccard  emerged  from  the  alley  the  Governor's 
carriage  swept  by.  He  stood  until  he  saw  it  stop 
before  the  cottage,  and  then  hastened  to  execute  the 
order  this  observation  rendered  imperative. 

The  Governor  was  first  to  alight.  Doctor  Carlisle 
followed,  assisting  Mrs.  Reid;  and  the  two  had  passed 
over  the  threshold  before  they  discovered  the  Gover- 
nor was  not  with  them. 

The  Governor,  whose  keen  glance  had  taken  in 
every  surrounding,  stood  with  a  puzzled  and  perturbed 
expression,  reading  and  re-reading  the  placard.  As 
the  metaphor  flashed  upon  him,  he  as  instantly  tore 
it  down,  and  crumpling  and  thrusting  it  into  his  coat 
pocket,  he  entered  for  the  first  time  the  domicile  of 
Robert  LaGrange. 

His  presence  here  was  obtained  by  his  sister  and 
her  physician.  Once,  the  desire  to  see  the  young 
music  teacher — to  whom  he  was  under  the  most  sacred 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  171 

personal  obligations  was  paramount,  but  fate  had 
separated  them.  They  were  strangers  yet  Even 
her  name  caused  an  involuntary  shudder.  Nor  was 
this  anomalous,  since  the  fairest  object  may  cease  to 
be  revered,  when  idle  tongues  have  cheapened  all  its 
charms. 

As  the  Governor  stood  at  the  threshold  he  hesitated. 
He  could  not  move  where  serpents  did  not  flank  his 
pathway.  He  had  spared  the  innocent  inmates  of  the 
LaGrange  cottage  the  cruel  stab  he  had  just  torn 
from  their  dwelling.  "  The  offender  must  be  ferreted 
out  and  punished"  said  he  to  himself  and  entered. 

"  Why  Governor,"  said  Carlisle,  "  we  thought  you 
had  been  waylaid/  Let  me  present  Miss  LaGrange 
and  Mrs.  Forbes.  Miss  Veen  and  the  others  you 
have  met." 

Pearl  stepped  forward, extended  her  hand  and  greeted 
the  Governor  with  a  low  bow.  Young  Evans,  not 
seemingly  courting  recognition,  retained  his  obscure 
seat. 

As  the  full  light  haloed  the  faces  of  the  two  girls, 
Governor  Kellogg  turned  to  doctor  Carlisle,  remark- 
ing in  an  under  tone:  "If  those  two  girls  were  in 
Borne  they  would  speedily  attract  the  brush  of  some 
master." 

"  To  me,"  said  Carlisle,  "  they  blend  as  harmoni- 
ously as  the  bands  of  aTainbow." 


172  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 


"  There  is  a  spiritual  beauty  about  Miss  LaGrange," 
replied  the  Governor.  "  Contact  with  the  world  will 
brush  this  soul-bloom  off  " 

"  I  differ  with  you.  Cannot  you  see,  under  the  phys- 
ical symmetry  of  a  Koland,  intrepidity  of  spirit  to 
match?" 

Here  Pearl's  class  filed  in  and  the  gentlemen  joined 
the  circle  surrounding  Pearl.  Her  face  looked  so 
beautiful. 

Pearl,  ever  thoughtful  for  the  infirm,  escorted  Mrs. 
Reid  to  a  chair  near  the  open  window. 

The  doctor's  attention  was  attracted  to  the  door, 
where  two  sisters  of  charity  stood  surveying  the  com- 
pany from  under  their  white  scoop  bonnets.  They 
seemed  to  hesitate  about  advancing  into  the  room. 
Pearl  stepped  forward,  bringing  them  into  notice,  as 
she  conducted  them  to  the  flower. 

Doctor  Carlisle,  suddenly  left  Mrs.  Reid's  side 
to  join  the  group.  His  manner  was  excited,  as  he 
stood  intently  gazing  into  the  face  of  the  taller  of  the 
two  sisters,  a  brawny  woman  with  cold  gray  eyes,  which 
were  fixed  upon  Pearl  with  a  devouring  look. 

Doctor  Carlisle  had  found  the  object  of  his  years  of 
search.  Could  he  let  her  go? 

"  Perhaps,"  thought  he,  "she  has  repented.  Had  the 
lash  of  conscience  driven  her  to  this  garb?" 

With  one  hand  upon  the  medallion  locket  hid  in 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  173 

his  breast,  and  his  lips  parted  to  pronounce  the  name 
engraved  thereon,  he  stood  for  the  second  time  con- 
fronting the  woman  he  had  searched  far  and  wide  to 
find.  Yet  her  robes  declared  her  heart  now  sacred. 
Conceding  this  excited  pity,  but  he  must  have  an  in- 
terview with  this  woman,  if  forced  upon  the  confess- 
ional stair  to  obtain  it.  What  meant  that  menacing 
look  she  cast  upon  Pearl? 

Doctor  Carlisle  surprised  himself  by  a  movement 
of  his  right  hand,  which  tilted  the  sister's  white  bon- 
net back  from  her  angry  visage.  Their  eyes  met. 
The  practiced  duplicity  of  the  woman  saved  her  from 
swooning.  She  realized  the  horrible  abyss  over  which 
she  was  suspended,  and  knew  her  mask  would  only 
serve  her  if  she  instantly  escaped  her  mortal  enemy. 

Pulling  the  skirts  of  her  companion,  the  danger- 
signal  agreed  upon,  both  hastily  retreated  through 
the  open  door.  Doctor  Carlisle  closely  following.  On 
they  flew,  till  the  ladies  entered  a  carriage  which  stood 
awaiting. 

"Hold!"  cried  Doctor  Carlisle;  but  the  door  of 
the  carriage  was  slammed  in  his  face  and  the  horses 
lashed  forward  with  a  speed  which  baffled  pursuit. 

At  midnight  the  same  invisible  ringers  which  opened 
the  velvet  doors  of  the  flower  shall  close  its  green 
shutters  forever;  and  this  perfect  night  of  happiness 
to  Pearl  must,  like  the  flower,  take  wings.  When 


174  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

the  new  day  dawns,  ah,  then  God!  pity  those  whose 
dreams  are  shattered  memories! 

As  the  Governor's  carriage  door  closed  the  sound 
of  Pearl's  voice  attracted  his  music  loving  ear.  All 
listened.  There  was  a  ravishing  sweetness  in  her 
tones,  rarely  combined  with  the  strength  and  energy 
displayed  in  her  crescendoes,  while  the  ease  and  de- 
licacy of  her  shading  was  masterly. 

It  was  Pearl's  own  arrangement,  and  each  word 
seemed  laden  with  the  wealth  of  her  poetic  and  im- 
passioned soul,  as  she  sang; 

Love  me,  love!  0  love  me  ever, 

Time  is  but  a  mortal  breath. 
Love  me  now,  henceforth,  forever! 

Love  is  life, — Oblivion,  death! 

Through  eternity,  0  love  me, 

Till  the  stars  are  duller  grown, 
Till  in  heart  and  soul  I  crown  thee 

Love's  divinity,  my  own! 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  swift  recording  angel  drove  his  quill 

With  such  celerity  it  seemed  to  fly 
And  hurl  its  record  down  of  human  ill, 

As  erst  the  lightning  leapt  from  murky  sky 
On  Jove,  defiant  Titans  it  would  kill ; 

And  yet,  the  record  in  its  darkest  dye, 
Was  incomplete:  not  half  the  ills  were  shown; 
And  those  that  were  so,  were  not  half  writ  down. 

"Let   us  go"  said  Mrs.  Reid,  as  the   guitar  dis- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  175 

coursed  the  prelude  to  another  song.     "  The  plaintive 
tone  of  that  voice  thrills  me  strangely." 

"Come,  come,  sweet  sister!  No  more  gloomy  pic- 
tures. Look  out  upon  the  heavens,  and  read  a  happy 
horoscope  for  me,  when  cares  of  state  shall  fall  like 
gyves  from  off  my  wrists,  and  I  may  be  set  free! 

For  I'm  a  prisoner!  Bound  in  chains 

Invisible  as  air; 
Yet  stronger  than  the  links  which  clank 

In  dungeons  of  despair. 
For  Freedom  is  to  me  myth, 

The  untried  spirit  wing; 
The  jest  of  time,  the  one  brave  note, 

Which  birds  alone  can  sing! 

'Bound  fast  in  fate'  the  savans  say, 

With  human  will  set  free. 
Laugh,  winds  of  heaven,  which  circling  plow 

Deep  furrows  in  the  sea! 
Shout  in  derision  as  ye  sweep 

The  forest  arches  through, 
And  brew  the  royal  oxygen — 

For  planet  life  anew. 

My  orbit  is  the  line  of  fate, 

Traced  by  an  unseen  hand ; 
The  same  which  my  divine  estate 

Hath  prowess  to  command. 

"  You  see  I've  caught  the  shadows  from  your  dark 
thoughts.  Mine  were  black  enough  before.  Come, 
you  and  grief  have  dissolved  partnership,  you  know," 
and  the  Governor's  arm  encircled  his  sister. 

Alas!  Could  these  potent  and  timely  assurances 
have  remained  at  her  side  the  dusk  hours  through, 


176  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

the  presentiment  of  evil  which  possessed  her  might 
never  have  assumed  the  reality  of  horrors.  And  now 
it  was  not  for  herself  she  shuddered;  as  her  head 
rested  upon  his  heart,  for  her  answer  revealed  com- 
plete disregard  for  self. 

"Believe  me,"  she  said,  Pearl  LaGrange  is  born  to 
cope  with  great  vicissitudes.  Her  beauty  is  of  a  type 
to  sadden.  A  modern  mistic  maintains  that  '  it  is  bet- 
ter to  die  than  to  be  born.' " 

"  But  you  would  not  appoint  your  modern  Guidetta 
unto  death?"  said  Doctor  Carlisle. 

"Yes,  I  would?"  responded  the  enthusiastic  friend 
of  Pearl  LaGrange.  "  If  I  did  not  fear  you  would 
both  mistrust  as  taking  new  leave  of  my  senses,  I  would 
tell  you  my  best  wishes  for  this  unfortunate  girl." 

"  Give  us  the  dainty  wish,  sister,"  said  Kellogg. 
"  I  predict  a  society  sensation,  and  such  a  one  as  has 
never  before   convulsed  the  elite  circles  of  St.  Saul, 
when  Lucien  Evans  takes  his  bride  to  Ivy  Tower, 
doubt  if  the  sudden  introduction  of  a  dynamite  bomb 
would  create  a  greater  scattering  of  crinoline." 

"  I  hear  the  General's  family  are  opposed  to  this 
marriage,"  said  Doctor  Carlisle. 

"They  are,"  said  the  Governor;  "on  the  fancied 
grounds  of  inequality,  I  believe  I  have  it  from  the 
bery  best  authority  that  both  Robert  LaGrange  and 
jis  wife  could  trace  their  ancestry  back  to  French  and 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  177 

Scotch  nobility.  The  girl  has  patrician  beauty,  and 
her  accomplishments  please  the  General ;  but  his  shal- 
low brained  wife  has  that  pride  which  goeth  before 
destruction.  She  idolizes  her  son.  The  General  has 
advised  her  to  put  him  in  a  glass  case,  as  he  is  too 
ornamental  to  be  useful.  His  pedigree  will  bring  him 
to  grief  yet.  The  age  demands  that  proof  of  ances- 
tral greatness  which  fruits  in  a  worthy  issue." 

The  Governor  concluded  his  not  altogether  com- 
plimentary panegyric  on  young  Evans  by  saying  the 
opportunity  of  his  life  was  upon  him,  and  his  future 
would  be  colored  by  the  fight  he  must  make  against 
maternal  opposition  and  social  prejudice. 

"  Surely  you  are  not  going  to  resume  work  at  this 
hour  ?  said  Doctor  Carlisle,  as  the  carriage  stopped 
before  the  grand  entrance  to  the  capitol. 

"True"  said  Kellogg,  "  Good  night." 

"  I  have  done  what  I  never  did  before,"  said  Mrs. 
Reid,  as,  with  a  sigh,  she  settled  back  into  the  cush- 
ions. "  I  have  watched  brother  out  of  my  sight.  You 
know  the  superstition?" 

"I  am  not  a  believer  in  signs,"  said  the  doctor. 

Doctor  Carlisle  was  very  fond  of  Governor  Kellogg. 
Of  the  Governor's  domestic  misfortunes  he  knew  abso- 
lutely nothing.  That  he  was  above  ordinary  men,  was 
proved  in  the  fact  of  his  ability  to  suffer  domestic  bar- 
barism, yet  preserve  a  clear  intellect  for  the  arduous 


178  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

duties  of  his  office.  His  dignified  reserve  protected  the 
reputation  of  his  wife;  but  reputation  and  character 
are  not  always  the  twin  companions  nature  designed 
them  to  be. 

"  Mrs.  Kellogg  is  still  out  of  the  city,  I  believe," 
said  doctor  Carlisle. 

Mrs.  Hied  shuddered,  as  she  replied:  "Yes;  that 
is,  I  suppose  she  is.  She  has  a  way  of  departing  and 
arriving  quite  novel  of  late,  and  only  by  tapping 
at  her  door  is  her  absence  or  presence  made  known  to 
us.  It  is  no  disparagement  to  either  brother  or  his 
wife  that  their  relations  are  inharmonious.  It  is  sim- 
ply a  mutual  misfortune  that  they  should  ever  have 
come  together." 

The  carriage  now  approached  the  Governor's  resi- 
dence, and  a  bright  light  flamed  from  the  balcony 
window. 

"  She  has  come,"  said  Mrs.  Reid,  "and  now  it  is  not 
too  late  for  you  to  come  in  and  make  her  acquain- 
tance." 

"  No,  excuse  me.     Not  to-night,"  said  he. 

"  Would  there  be  any  impropriety  in  my  giving 
your  brother  a  professional  nudge  on  my  way  home? 
It  is  past  the  hour  for  bores  you  know,"  said  the  doc- 
tor playfully. 

"  Most  assuredly  not.  Call  and  send  him  home  at 
once.  He  has  not  honored  us  with  his  presence  for 
months." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  179 

"  Sup'pose  I  tell  him  the  house  is  on  fire.  The  ends 
will  justify  the  means,  will  they  not?  " 

"O  yes!  "  said  Mrs.  Reid  as  she  closed  the  door, 
saying  to  herself:  "  I  should  have  insisted  upon  the 
doctor's  introduction  to  Hector  to  night,  just  to  keep 
a  human  presence  near.  It  seems  to  me  I  would  give 
everything  I  have,  but  the  hope  of  immortality,  for 
the  presence  of  some  friend  to-night!  And  she  entered 
her  sleeping  room,  under  the  cloud  of  presentiment 

Some  moments  in  advance  of  this  lady,  a  strange 
looking  object  entered  at  the  rear  of  the  building, 
glided  up  the  back  stair-case,  and  forcing  the  lock, 
entered  the  Governor's  private  sleeping  room. 

At  every  step  the  rustling  of  her  dress,  or  the  thump- 
ing of  her  heart,  which,  since  her  flight  from  the  La 
Grange  cottage  had  not  ceased  to  flutter,  made  her 
pause,  lest  she  should  be  surprised  in  her  nefarious 
preliminaries  for  flight 

"Hector  Kellogg,"  she  whispered,  "you  are  a  fool 
and  a  fizzle."  She  was  startled  by  the  quick,  nervous 
footsteps  of  Mrs.  Reid. 

"  She  is  a  born  detective.  All  is  lost  if  she  looks 
into  my  face."  And  she  shut  her  door  with  a  bang 
and  pushed  the  bolt.  Then,  with  her  ear  to  the  key- 
hole, she  listened  till  the  invalid  entered  her  bed  room. 

She  then  proceeded  to  collect  valuables  including 
the  case  of  jewels,  which  the  Governor's  harrassed 
condition  had  prevented  him  from  missing. 


180  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Her  depraved  imagination  took  satisfaction  in  the 
thought  of  creating  a  sensation  by  flight,  "  forced 
upon  her  by  the  infidelity  of  her  husband,"  which 
must  effectually  bar  him  from  divorce.  As  for  Doctor 
Carlisle  he  might  search  the  Convent  and  haunt  the 
Sisterhood  for  a  time,  but  must  eventually  give  up 
the  pursuit. 

Mrs.  Reid  had  just  completed  a  beautiful  portrait 
of  Pearl  LaGrange.  So  true  a  likeness  was  it,  its  fair 
delineator  might  have  addressed  it  as  did  one  of  the 
old  masters:  "I  have  done  all  I  can  for  you;  now 
speak!" 

To  bear  away  this  trophy  involved  entering  the 
bed  chamber  of  Mrs.  Reid,  who  was  so  light  a  sleeper 
that  the  slightest  noise  might  rouse  her.  The  picture 
hung  upon  the  wall  over  the  sleeper.  Hector  Kel- 
logg had  a  cat-like  tread.  So  hurriedly  turning  the 
hall  light  down,  she  softly  entered  the  artist's  bed 
chamber.  A  pale  beam  of  light,  as  if  beseeching 
mercy,  stole  in  through  the  door,  revealing  the  white 
face  of  the  sleeper.  Hector  Kellogg  took  a  back  step 
here  to  brace  herself  before  the  commission  of  the 
dastardly  deed.  The  close  wall  involved  the  feat  of 
clambering  over  the  high  foot  board,  and  bridging  the 
remaining  distance  as  best  she  could. 

Hector  Kellogg  was  an  adept  in  stretching  the 
truth,  but  was  not  elastic  in  any  other  sense. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  181 

Raising  herself  noislessly,  and  listening  between 
each  effort,  this  gaunt  shadow  at  last  attained  a  posi- 
tion upon  the  side  of  the  bed,  and  stretched  out  her 
arms  towards  the  picture. 

If  Darwin  ever  had  any  doubts  as  to  the  actuality 
of  "  the  missing  link,"  they  might  have  been  dissipa- 
ted, could  he  have  witnessed  this  tableau. 

Alas,  that  sin  should  have  led  Hector  Kellogg 
to  •  such  lengths.  The  picture  was  very  heavy.  It 
could  be  reached  only  on  tiptoe. 

Awkwardly  as  possible,  she  raised  herself  till  her 
hands  could  grasp  the  outer  edges  of  the  picture.  In 
lifting  it  from  the  nail  she  lost  her  balance,  the  por- 
trait slipped  from  her  hand,  and  in  her  efforts  to  re- 
cover it,  was  hurled  towards  the  bed,  striking  with 
fatal  force  one  of  its  sharp  corners  into  the  temple  of 
the  sleeper. 

Her  lips  softly  murmured:  "Eddie,  my  darling, 
have  you  come  at  last! "  and  silence  fell  upon  the  room 
as  suddenly  as  the  death  blow  had  been  given. 

The  shocking  accident  made  Hector  Kellogg  hesi- 
tate till  fear  inspired  immediate  flight. 

She  had  already  relieved  the  bouse  of  every  valu- 
able. She  would  put  it  under  the  robber's  spell,  in 
the  attitude  of  having  been  ransacked  and  pillaged. 

As  for  Mrs.  Reid's  death,  that  was  imminent  at  any 


182  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

time;  and  the  fright  attending  entrance  by  burglars 
was  sufficient. 

Just  as  the  grey  dawn  was  breaking,  and  the  early 
birds  softly  twittering,  a  figure  draped  in  the  hue  of 
night,  and  bearing  the  portrait  of  Pearl  LaGrange. 
passed  through  the  gate  of  the  Kellogg  mansion  for- 
ever. 


CHAPTEK  XIV. 


There  is  no  truth  which  has  not  been  assailed 
And  dragged  into  the  sticky  clay  of  lies, 

Suffered  contempt,  and  to  the  cross  been,  nailed, 
To  prove  itself  a  native  of  the  skies; 

Nor  does  its  whiteness  shine  as  virgin  snow, 

Till  victory  crowns  these  conflicts  with  the  foe. 

There  is  no  love,  all  worthy  of  the  name, 

Which  doth  not  glory  in  self-sacrifice. 
Disrobed  of  self,  it  emulates  the  fame 

Of  Christ,  the  model  of  love's  pure  device. 
Love  transcends  all  being,  all  desires, 
Meets  the  white  soul  of  love  through  crucial  fires. 

Weeks  had  elapsed  since  St.  Saul  had  been  electri- 
fied by  the  news  of  a  bold  robbery  at  Governor  Kel- 
logg's  mansion,  resulting  in  the  fright  unto  death  of 
his  invalid  sister. 

The  funeral  of  Mrs.  Keid  had  been  conducted  in 
an  unostentatious  manner.  The  remains  were  encased 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  183 

in  a  plain  black    cloth  coffin,  with    this  inscription 
upon  the  silver  plate: 

MAE  KELLOGG  EEID, 
Born  Aug.  20,  1848, 
Died  July  31,  1879. 

Upon  the  casket  rested  a  bunch  of  white  roses» 
brought  in  just  before  the  funeral  services  by  Pearl 
LaGrange,  and  placed  over  the  still  heart  by  the  Gov- 
ernor's hand. 

Had  this  woman  lived,  the  fate  of  Pearl  LaGrange 
might  have  been  less  cruel. 

The  absence  of  Mrs.  Kellogg  excited  universal  com- 
ment 

****** 

All  Soul's  Church  had  an  overflowing  congregation. 
The  breadth  of  its  phalacteries  was  like  the  omnivor- 
ous mouth  of  an  ostrich.  It  was  a  church  for  all 
shades  of  religious  opinion.  The  pastor  preached 
Emerson  three  sabbaths  in  every  month.  On  the 
fourth  he  preached  Emerson  and  Christ  conjointly. 
The  services  were  literary  repasts  for  thinking  minds. 
At  the  close  of  the  literary  exercises,  the  organist 
would  seat  herself  at  the  piano,  and  the  preacher 
would  yell:  "  Get  your  partners  for  a  quadrille!  " 

Now  what  I  have  writ  is  true,  I  aver, 

Call  it  dactyle,  pinderic  or  hexameter, 

I  count  not  my  fingers  to  measure  the  feet, 

The  facts,  and  relations,  make  stories  complete. 

*  *  *  *  *  * 


184  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  I  beg  pardon ;  do  I  understand  you  to  say  Mrs. 
Kellogg' s  friends  are  powerless  to  aid  her  in  the  stand 
she  has  taken  for  the  vindication  of  purity,  and  the 
punishment  of  notorious  infidelities  ? "  and  the  nut- 
meg-shaped head  of  Miss  Tongue  wort  gave  her  cluster 
of  store  ringlets  a  menacing  toss. 

"  Well,  then,"  replied  the  well  bred  wife  of  doctor 
Carlisle,  "permit  me  to  say  that  the  ill  married 
Governor  Cassius  Kellogg  of  the  past  is  the  fancy 
free  executive  of  the  state  to-day,  and  as  elligible  to 
matrimony  as  he  was  before  his  unlucky  marital  con- 
tract with  the  late  Mrs.  Kellogg,"said  Mrs.  Carlisle, 
with  the  sweetest  expression. 

Miss  Tonguewort,  staggering  to  her  feet,  confronted 
her  in  the  most  furious  manner,  flopping  her  bony 
arms  frantically  out  of  their  angel  sleeves  into  her 
face,  and  fairly  screaming  in  retort: 

"  What!  Hector  Kellogg  divorced  from  the  Gover- 
nor?" 

"No,"  said  Mrs.  Carlisle,  soothingly,  raising  her 
voice  a  trifle  to  make  herself  understood.  "  The  Gov- 
ernor is  divorced  from  Hector  Kellogg." 

"A  nice  distinction,  that!  It  is  false!  I  care  not 
who  has  made  the  assertion;  it  is  the  invention  of  a 
barefaced  slanderer!  I  repeat  that  it  is  false!  The 
wife  of  Doctor  Carlisle  has  no  authority  to  back  her 
statements!"-  -  but  the  lady's  years  were  on  the 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  185 

wrong  side  of  the  equinoxial  line  to  render  such  un- 
governable outbursts  of  passion  safe;  and  her  words 
had  already  produced  a  general  physical  collapse, 
manifested  by  a  gradual  settling  of  Miss  Tongue- 
wort's  body  into  her  toilet,  and  of  the  latter  over  the 
floor. 

Mrs.  Carlisle  sprang  forward  and  assisted  her  to 
the  chair  she  had  just  abandoned. 

"  What  is  it?"  saidone.     "Oh,  what  has  happened?" 
exclaimed  another,  observing  a  heap  of  satin  and  laces, 
and  the  head  of  Louisa   Tonguewort   struggling  to 
-emerge. 

"  I  was  simply  answering  Miss  Tonguewort  to  the 
best  of  my  knowledge,  whereat  she  turned  upon  me 
with  the  fury  of  a  tigress  and  relaxed,  as  you  see  her. 
I  pronounce  it  a  species  of  neurosis.  It  is  not  her 
first  attack.  A  glass  of  water  is  all  the  medicine  she 
requires.  Miss  Tonguewort  sipped  the  innocent 
beverage  with  a  zest  which  caused  Pearl  to  replenish 
the  glass. 

"  What  is  it?"  she  whispered  faintly. 

"  Water,  pure  water,"  said  Pearl,  who  imagined  the 
lady's  mind  wandering. 

"  Oh,  I  did  not  recognize  it,  and  had  forgotten  it 
was  so  palatable.  Champagne  is  our  drink  you  know, 
on  the  hill.  The  water  is  so  vile  in  oar  wells!  And 


186  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

that  which  is  peddled  at  $2.50  per  barrel  is  not  much 
better!" 

Louisa  Tonguewort  opened  her  eyes  and  seeing  Pearl 
bounded  from  the  ecclesiastical  cushions,  landing 
between  Mrs.  Veen  and  lady  Evans.  Her  rudeness 
was  observed  by  Cecile,  who  hastened  to  relieve  Pearl's 
discomfiture,  by  assuring  her  the  abrupt  manners  of 
the  lady  were  due  entirely  to  a  morbid,  spasmodic 
action  of  the  muscles.  But  Pearl  was  far  from  being 
comforted  by  the  kindness  of  her  friend.  She  had  en- 
dured the  sting  of  poverty  too  long  to  be  susceptible 
to  apologies.  The  haughty  salutation,  the  studied 
reticence,  the  vulgar  scorn,  and  had  she  not  suffered 
all  this,  and  more  for  years,  to  keep  her  place  at 
Cecile's  side. 

"The  gulf  between  the  rich  and  poor  has  never 
been  and  never  can  be  spanned  by  any  but  the  bridge 
of  Christ's  pure  charities,"  thought  Pearl. 

"What  is  it,  dear  heart?"  said  Pearl,  addressing 
Cecile  Veen,  as  the  two,  arm  in  arm,  moved  off  to- 
gether. "  Do  I  look  terrible  as  an  army  with  ban- 
ners; or  what  are  the  repellent  qualities  I  wear  to- 
night?" 

"  You!  "  said  Cecile  tenderly.  "  Why  you  are  sim- 
ply a  wayside  flower,  caught  blooming  just  a  trifle  too 
luxuriantly  perhaps,  in  the  stifling  atmosphere  of  hot- 
house plants,  where  your  round  stalk,  fresh  bright 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  187 

color,  and  the  fragrant  aura  of  your  presence  is  a  re- 
buke to  the  artificial  collection.  The  eyes  of  envy 
and  jealousy  are  trying  to  weed  you  out,  but  as  you 
are  soon  to  measure  swords  with  them  socially,  you 
must  not  be  daunted  by  the  drifting  of  a  little  straw. 
Here  comes  Lucien." 

Lucien,  parting  the  girls  and  joining  them  in  a 
promenade  said:  "The  Governor  is  divorced  from  Mrs. 
Kellogg.  I  read  the  announcement  in  this  evening's 
Journal. 

"  This  is  the  result  of  a  joke  on  her  part,  intended 
only  as  a  domestic  pleasantry,  to  which  his  austere 
displeasure  affixes  the  seal  of  eternal  separation,  by 
annulling  in  toto  the  marriage  bond,"  said  young 
Evans,  who  looked  sincerely  sorry  for  Mrs.  Kellogg, 
having  no  knowledge  of  the  secret 

"But  your  news  is  almost  stale,"  responded  Cecile. 

"  I  did  not  know  you  had  so  little  feeling,"  retorted 
Evans. 

"  Well,  your  discovery  being  made,  do  you  not  com- 
mend my  economical  use  of  it,  when  the  occasion  re- 
quires?" 

"  You  do  not  see  the  far  reaching  effect  of  this  do- 
mestic episode"  said  the  secretary's  son.  "  It  is  going 
to  make  Governor  Kellogg  very  unpopular." 

"  I  hope  I  am  not  heartless;  and  I  do  think  it  the 
best  thing  which  could  have  happened  to  the  Gover- 


188  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

nor.  I  do  not  see  why  society  should  put  on  crepe. 
If  tears  could  bring  back  the  gentle  hearted  sister, 
Pearl  and  I  would  shed  enough. 

"Cecile!  You  are  positively  cruel  to-night  What 
think  you,  my  fair  one?"  said  Evans,  addressing 
Pearl. 

"  I  have  no  knowledge  of  the  relations  between 
this  unfortunate  pair,  so  I  reserve  my  opinion.  An 
impartial  judgment  like  mine,  would  only  be  rejected 
with  contempt,  since  there  appears  to  be  two  stalwart 
sides  to  the  question,  and  both  are  struggling  for 
supremacy.  It  is  such. a  shocking  predicament  to  be 
in,  when  one's  sacred  affairs  are  tabled  and  carved  up 
a  la  community;  and  with  the  uncrupulous  methods 
of  slashing  up  dead  anatomies  at  a  barbecue.  At  least 
one  tongue  shall  be  silent  in  respect  of  sentiments 
which,  though  dead  now,  once  animated  and  made 
holy  a  family  and  a  home.  Let  us  go,"  said  Pearl, 
"You  know  aunt  Meg  will  not  retire  until  I  come." 
But  Pearl's  lover  tacitly  denied  her  request  by  keep- 
ing pace  with  the  promanade  circle  befor%  and  back 
of  them,  while  Miss  Tonguewort  regaled  Mrs.  Veen 
and  lady  Evans  with  minute  sensational  details  of 
Madame  Kellogg's  necessitated  abscondence,  causing 
one  of  the  ladies  to  exclaim,  quite  above  the  ordinary 
tones  of  good  breeding, "shocking!"  and  her  companion 
to  repeat  the  word  with  the  addendum,  "incredible! " 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  189 

"  Do  you  think,  granting  the  rumor  of  divorce  to  be 
true" — said  the  ^unhappy  virgin,  erecting  her  figure 
to  its  utmost  height  and  pursing  her  thin  lips  into  a 
most  serio-comic  expressions  of  self-consciousness 
that  the  youth  and  personal  attractions  of  Louisa 
Tonguewort  were  not  yet  extinct — "do  you  think  our 
Governor  will  marry  again?  " 

The  premature  nature  of  the  question  was  startling 
enough;  but  placing  the  Governor  already  in  the  pos- 
sessive case,  in  the  peculiar  wording  of  her  sentence, 
when  all  knew  the  Tongueworts  unreservedly  espoused 
the  cause  of  Mrs.  Kellogg,  awed  her  audience  into  a 
silence.  After  which  the  gathering  broke  up. 

Woven  out  of  shadows,  night  draws  her  curtain, 
odorous  with  the  narcotine  of  rest,  and  watchful  stars 
beam  like  the  eyes  of  angels  through  each  parting 
fold. 

The  rich  and  poor,  joy-freighted  and  care-bound; 
the  happy  and  wretched — all  court  oblivion. 

CHAPTEK  XV. 

Her  cup  was  full !    Another  drop, 

And  it  must  overflow ; 
The  bitter  bubbles  at  the  top, 

Were  lancet  beads  of  woe. 

For  the  reader's  better  understanding  of  the  mo- 
tives which,  though  not  made  public,  led  Governor 


190  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Kellogg  to  take  immediate  steps  for  divorce  shortly 
after  Mrs.  Kellogg' s  flight,  it  is  expedient  to  review 
a  few  unrecorded  incidents  in  that  lady's  history, 
causes  recognized  by  the  statutes  of  the  several  states 
as  sufficient  to  render  his  marriage  void. 

On  the  evening  of  doctor  Carlisle's  important  dis- 
covery, having  seen  Mrs.  Reid  within  the  door  of  her 
brother's  mansion,  he  repaired  to  the  executive  cham- 
ber, to  confer  with  the  Governor  upon  the  most  feas- 
able  means  of  following  to  a  successful  clearing  up 
the  mystery,  a  clue  having  been  unexpectedly  furn- 
ished him  at  the  LaGrange  cottage  that  evening. 

In  enlisting  the  Governor's  interest  doctor  Carlisle 
was  impelled  to  impart  a  secret,  known  only  to  him- 
self, his  wife,  and  the  lady  who  played  the  leading 
role  in  the  dark  drama.  If  he  had  sent  a  thousand 
poisoned  arrows  into  the  bosom  of  his  friend,  he 
could  not  have  inflicted  deeper  wounds. 

When  the  cup  of  bitterness  is  brimming,  a  drop  or 
two  more  would  seem  to  make  little  difference  in  the 
strength  of  the  draught;  yet  there  are  limits,  when 
the  finest  strand  of  a  spider's  thread  will  more  than 
span  its  defining  line  beyond  which  human  endurance 
ceases  to  be  a  virtue  and  halts,  unnerved  and  power- 
less. 

The  smile  Governor  Kellogg  forced  to  his  lips  in 
parting  with  Doctor  Carlisle,  after  this  memorable 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  191 

interview,  was  constrained,  and  so  insincere  he  felt 
that  he  had  not  reciprocated  in  part  the  unreserved 
confidences  of  his  worthy  friend.  But  shocking  as 
the  Doctor's  revelations  were,  they  scarcely  prepared 
him  for  the  guilty  witnesses  which  met  him  on  the 
threshold  of  his  home. 

In  the  presence  of  death  the  additional  misfortune 
of  robbery  and  pillage  visible  throughout  the  castle, 
made  little  impression  on  the  bereaved  man;  but 
when,  upon  reaching  the  threshold  of  his  chamber,  he 
stepped  upon  the  chain  of  beads  and  held  this  up  for 
inspection,  he  could  endure  no  more.  The  strong 
man  sank  within  him.  Almighty  love  alone  could 
here  forgive. 

Upon  his  couch,  scarcely  less  pallid  and  statue- like 
than  his  cold,  dead  sister,  Governor  Kellogg  was  found 
unconscious,  when  Doctor  Carlisle  was  summoned  to 
the  house  some  hours  later,  on  the  morning  succeeding 
their  interview. 

Until  the  Governor  recovered  consciousness  he  was 
supposed  to  have  been  rendered  senseless  by  the 
burglars  who  had  ransacked  and  robbed  the  house. 

With  his  return  to  consciousness,  the  Governor  re- 
solved to  take  the  legal  steps  for  severing  the  bond 
which  constituted  the  wretched  thraldom  of  his  mar- 
riage. None  but  he  had  noticed  the  peculiar  mark 
opon  his  sister's  temple;  none  shared  his  horrible 
convictions. 


192  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Aiming  to  have  the  affair  quiet  and  exempt  from 
those  recriminations  which,  dragged  into  court,  dis- 
grace the  dignity  of  man  and  woman,  he  sacrificed  him- 
self and  wove  a  cloak  of  pity,  'neath  whose  ample 
fold  the  hideous  being  of  Hector  Kellogg  escaped  all 
public  censure  and  all  private  blame. 

But  along  the  dark  horizon  of  the  woman's  destiny 
a.cloud  stretched  black  and  dubious  and  justice  rode 
thereon. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

True  love  has  sailed  as  many  seas 

And  braved  as  many  waves, 
As  there  are  leaves  upon  the  trees 

Or  shells  in  ocean  caves; 
It  makes  eternal  vows,  which  rest 

Upon  the  breath  of  time, 
As  lightly  as  the  rocking  nest 

Upon  an  ivy  vine. 
Its  arms  are  opened  wide  to  trust, 

And  honor  is  its  breath; 
Doubt  trails  its  image  in  the  dust, 

And  turns  its  face  towards  death! 

Youth,  in  its  early  freshness  and  bloom,  may  be 
likened  unto  a  beautiful  garden  under  the  skies  of 
June;  love,  to  the  showy  image,  'neath  the  crystal 
fountain.  If  the  supply  of  hidden  life  sources  be  cut 
off,  and  the  fountain  ceases  to  play,  the  image  be- 
comes defaced  and  broken;  the  lovely  flowers  droop 
and  wither  away,  and  the  garden  becomes  a  ruin. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  193 

From  little  children,  Pearl  LaGrange  and  Lucien 
Evans  had  associated  together. 

Before  his  college  days,  in  the  long,  cold  winters, 
when  snow-drifts  hedged  the  hedges,  and  the  paths 
to  and  from  the  school  house  were  lost,  Lucien' s  sled 
could  be  seen  every  morning,  waiting  at  the  gate  for 
little  Pearl ;  and  as  all  the  other  girls  had  brothers  or 
fathers  to  bring  them,  it  was  considered  by  all  the 
school  the  loveliest  picture  to  see  Lucien  Evans,  who 
had  no  little  sister,  and  Pearl  LaGrange  who  had  no 
big  brother,  going  to  school. 

Their  love-making  had  been  a  very  old-fashioned 
affair,  belonging  to  each  other  before  they  undersiood 
the  nature  of  love,  or  the  obligation  of  a  plighted 
troth. 

That  Lucien  Evans  and  Pearl  LaGrange  were  des- 
tined to  be  husband  and  wife  from  the  dawn  of  crea- 
tion, was  as  much  a  fact  to  Pearl,  as  the  religion  of 
her  fathers. 

General  and  Mrs.  Evans  were  aware  of  the  attach- 
ment, but  Mrs.  Evans  viewed  it  as  childish  and  eph- 
emeral; and  only  after  Lucien's  return  from  college 
did  she  deem  it  "  a  foe  worthy  of  her  steel." 

A  highly  "eligible  match  "  had  been  planned  by 
the  idolatrous  mother  for  her  only  son;  a  marriage 
which  would  unite  the  wealth  of  two  old  families. 

None  in  the  generations  which  proceeded  her  had 


194  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

been  guilty  of  dying  for  love.  Given  to  the  dissipa- 
tion of  reading  the  trashy  literature  of  the  day,  Mrs. 
Evans  was  well  versed  in  intrigue,  and  had  developed 
plans  which  she  felt  would  bring  her  selfish  desires. 

The  General  manifested  an  indifference.  To  his 
mind  the  beauty  and  intellectual  gifts  of  Pearl  La- 
Grange,  more  than  offset  the  social  position  of  Miss 
Ruby  Clark,  who  was  only  a  girl  of  mediocre  talent. 
He  secretly  prayed  for  the  marriage  of  his  son  and 
the  orphaned  child  of  Robert  LaGrange.  "  It  would 
be  such  a  delicate  and  salutary  innovation  upon  the 
artificial  and  heartless  family  lives  they  are  all  lead- 
ing," thought  he. 

But  women — even  those  who  are  united  to  great 
men  intellectually,  whom  they  recognize  as  their  su- 
periors— never  concede  a  point  which  has  been  pri- 
vately settled  in  their  own  minds.  They  may  seem  to 
have  yielded — so  completely  are  their  untenable  argu- 
ments reasoned  away — but  upon  returning  to  them- 
selves, let  but  a  jest  be  uttered  upon  the  subject,  and 
they  relapse  into  their  old  warp  of  thinking.  To  con- 
vince a  woman  of  her  folly  is  to  surprise  her  while 
she  is  gnawing  upon  the  dead  sea  fruits  of  it.  The 
nobility  of  confessing  the  fault  is  waived,  because 
there  is  no  way  out,  save  through  this  humiliation. 

It  takes  great  minds  to  map  out  and  walk  in  orig- 
inal and  eccentric  paths. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  195 

Mrs.  Evans'  nature  was  not  deep  enough  to  make 
her  an  extremely  vicious  person. 

So  the  mental  suggestion  of  a  new  departure  socially, 
which,  if  carried  out,  would  have  forced  recognition 
and  respect  from  the  entire  world  of  her  acquaint- 
ance, the  wife  of  the  General  had  neither  the  great- 
ness of  spirit  nor  the  largeness  of  heart  to  inaugurate. 

Lucien  was  called  away  from  St.  Saul  for  a  few 
days,  and  a  way  was  opened  for  an  interview,  either 
in  person  or  by  letter,  with  his  affianced  bride.  The 
success  of  her  overtures  was  built  entirely  upon  her 
knowledge  of  the  amiable  disposition  and  heroic  char- 
acter possessed  by  the  girl,  whose  probity  she  inten- 
ded to  test  by  writing  her  a  strictly  confidential  letter, 
and  without  consulting  the  General,  whose  consent 
she  knew  never  would  be  given.  She  would  make  a 
joint  request  to  postpone,  or  relinquish  the  prospec- 
tive marriage.  It  was  enough  that  the  social  position 
demanded  the  effort,  and  justified  the  means. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass,  on  the  evening  after  Lucien 
Evans'  business  departure  from  St.  Saul,  Pearl  La- 
Grange  was  surprised  at  the  reception  of  a  drop  let- 
ter, addressed  in  an  unknown  hand.  An  appreciation 
of  the  inwardness  of  this  vain  woman's  heart  and 
mind  will  be  rendered  possible  by  the  reading  of  her 
letter : 


196  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

St.  Saul,  Oct.         18—. 
Miss  PEARL  LAGKANGE: 

General  Evans  and  myself  are  annoyed  and 
shocked  at  the  rumor — gaining  credence  daily  in  St. 
Saul — of  your  approaching  marriage  with  our  son, 
and  I  must  say  the  order  of  social  etiquette  is  re- 
versed, when  we  humiliate  ourselves  at  your  feet,  sue- 
ing  for  the  revolvement  of  this  preposterous  canard, 
already  mounting  the  altar  stairs  of  St.  Mark's.  Con- 
sidering the  very  great  improprieties  of  such  an  au- 
dacious society  ilight  on  your  part,  and  the  covert  and 
unfilial  conduct  of  an  idolized  son,  who  for  his  own 
amusement,  or  otherwise,  keeps  up  the  absurdities  of 
such  an  illusion,  impresses  us  that  your  daring  ex- 
ceeds your  discretion. 

A  favorite  in  society,  and  flattered  by  an  admiring 
circle  of  friends,  Lucien  finds  himself  in  a  dilemma, 
not  unusual,  but  very  unpleasant;  and  while  he  de- 
sires to  honor  our  choice  in  his  marriage,  he  is  held 
back  from  so  doing  by  the  unfortunate  fetters  you 
have  thrown  around  him,  and  insist  upon  welding  at 
the  altar. 

When  young  people  rush  madly  and  unreasoningly 
into  serious  life  purposes,  it  becomes  their  parents,  or 
superiors  to  remind  them  of  the  insuperable  barriers 
which  block  their  too  ambitious  ways.  I  have  known 
very  good  things  of  you  in  the  past.  I  have  heard 
much  in  your  praise  of  late;  but  whatever  you  have 
been,  or  are,  or  hope  to  be,  yo'u  cannot  advance  your- 
self or  your  sphere  by  an  alliance  with  one  who  moves 
in  an  orbit  above  you. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  197 

We  do  not  declare  this  to  be  our  internal  view  of 
the  matter;  but  it  is  a  distinction  the  world  makes, 
and  we  are  compelled  to  subscribe  to  it. 

I  hear  you  are  heroic  and  self-sacrificing;  and  do 
not  believe  you  have  ever  seriously  considered  what  a 
young  man  in  the  highest  walks  of  life  sacrifices  to 
wed  a  girl  below  him  in  wealth  and  station. 

You  have  possibly  taken  only  a  one-sided  view  of 
the  results  of  such  unusual  matches,  overlooking  the 
awkward  plights  and  onerous  obligations  which  array 
themselves  against  you,  and  the  unhappy  outcome  of 
your  rose-colored  plans. 

Weigh  the  momentous  results  of  so  incongruous  a 
union,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  step  back  into  the  sphere 
you  now  adorn.  If  love  attracts,  more  than  position 
dazzles  you,  you  surely  could  not  plunge  the  loved 
one  irredeemably  into  a  social  quagmire,  out  of  which 
there  is  but  one  reputable  earthly  escape ;  but,  having 
it  in  your  power  to  give  him  the  highest  proof  of  your 
affections  in  restoring  his  personal  freedom  to  him, 
you  make  available  the  grandest  opportunity  of  your 
life  for  the  display  of  those  reputed  and  highly  dis- 
tinguishing qualities  of  yours,  and  win  in  spontane- 
ous gratitude,  more  than  you  ever  possessed  in  making 
an  unwilling  captive  of  love! 

In  the  event  of  proving  yourself  equal  to  this  notable 
life-occasion,  with  an  unqualified  renunciation  of  the 
past,  and  all  of  its  rustic  pledges,  we  promise,  not 
only  to  hold  you  in  grateful  esteem  forever,  but  to 
reward  you  in  a  manner  far  more  substantial  and  ac- 
ceptable to  the  poor. 


198  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

In  thus  unreservedly  expressing  ourselves  we  may 
have  anticipated  our  son's  purposes.  If  so,  we  trust 
you  will  spare  him  all  needless  anxiety  and  unhappi- 
ness  concerning  yourself,  by  taking  refuge  in  the  con- 
solatory fact  that  all  men  are  inconstant  by  nature,  as 
readily  adapting  themselves  to  changes  in  love,  as  in 
scenery. 

Again  assuring  you  of  a  reward  commensurate  with 
this  sacrifice,  the  arbitrary  customs  of  society  rather 
than  ourselves  demand  of  you, 
We  remain^ 

Very  truly  yours, 

GENERAL,  AND  MRS.  EVANS. 

Glancing  hurriedly  at  the  signature,  before  she 
read  the  letter,  Pearl  retired  to  her  little  bed-room, 
supposing  she  had  been  honored — as  her  position 
justified  her  in  every  way  to  except — with  an  episto- 
lary greeting  from  Lucien's  parents;  and  wishing  to 
enjoy  the  first  reading  of  their  congratulations  alone, 
and  then  share  its  contents  with  faithful  Aunt  Meg. 

The  room  was  in  that  natty,  pleasing,  and  never  to 
be  misconstrued  confusion  which  so  eloquently  be- 
speaks the  presence  of  a  young  lady  in  the  house. 

Cecile  Veen  had  just  left  the  cottage,  and  the  lovely 
wedding  wardrobe  having  been  examined  and  dis- 
cussed by  the  two  girls,  at  least  for  the  twentieth  time 
since  its  completion,  now  lay  in  a  billowy  heap,  its 
soft  ripples  floating  over  the  pillows  and  white  counter- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  199 

pane  of  the  bed,  which  was  entirely  eveloped  in  a  bath 
of  solar  morning  light. 

And  now,  surrounded  by  all  of  those  voiceful  em- 
blems of  a  happy  future  of  love  and  usefulness,  with 
her  imagination  quickened  into  an  ecstacy  of  delight, 
as  she  realized  the  grand  possibilities  in  the  widen- 
ing spheres  of  love  and  work  before  her,  in  the  very 
breath  of  the  roses,  budding  for  her  bridal,  she  reads 
the  cold,  stinging  words  of  that  letter.  Had  the  earth 
opened  at  her  feet,  and  as  suddenly  closed  over  her 
and  all  her  belongings,  Pearl  LaGrange  could  not 
have  been  more  completely  paralyzed. 

It  was  in  the  early  morning  hours  when  the  letter 
came,  and  the  room  and  the  wedding  garments  were 
bathed  in  the  gold-bloom  of  an  Indian  summer  at- 
mosphere. 

It  was  twilight  now.  The  shadows  crept  in  through 
the  open  casement  The  winds  sighed  heavily,  and 
the  roses  rustled  like  whispering  voices  over  the  still 
faces  of  the  dead.  Side  by  side  lay  the  expectant 
bride  and  her  wedding  garments,  vieing  in  stillness 
and  whiteness. 


200  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Say  what  you  will,  an  oral  word 
Is  only  thrilling  while  'tis  heard, 
And  only  treasured  while  the  ear 
Invokes  the  tribute,  smile  or  tear. 
E'en  sweetest  words  upon  the  tongue 
A  thousand  times  declared  and  sung, 
Must  be  a  thousand  times  renewed, 
Or  they  are  lost  or  misconstrued. 
But  let  the  hasty  pen  declare 
In  indignation  or  despair, 
Words  tempered  like  a  blade  of  steel, 
To  pierce  where  most  the  heart  can  feel, 
And  you  have  proved  your  written  word 
Far  mightier  than  the  two-edged  sword. 

When  Cecile  Veen  entered  the  LaGrange  cottage, 
the  morning  after  the  discussion  of  the  wardrobe,  it  was 
to  find  Aunt  Meg  in  the  chair  by  the  window,  where 
she  had  napped  in  watching  and  waiting  for  Pearl's 
return. 

The  atmosphere  was  stifling  with  lamp  smoke,  and 
the  old  lady's  countenance  wore  a  most  pitiable  expres- 
sion which  was  reflected  in  Cecile's  face,  upon  learn- 
ing that  Pearl  had  not  been  sought  in  her  room,  so 
confident  was  her  aunt  that  the  two  girls  had  passed 
out  together. 

Cecile  opened  Pearl's  door.  Pearl  was  there,  still 
as  the  wedding  garments  which  shrouded  all  but  her 
colorless  face! 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  201 

To  determine  whether  Pearl's  presence  was  one  of 
life  or  death,  was  the  work  of  a  moment. 

Uncovering  Pearl  to  her  heart,  Cecile  pressed  her 
face  closely  down.  "  God  be  praised!  "  she  murmured, 
"Pearl  lives!"  Cecile  summoned  and  conducted 
Doctor  Carlisle  to  Pearl's  bedside,  without  exciting  a 
suspicion  of  any  unusual  occurrence. 

"Oh,  can  you  not  rouse  her,  doctor?"  pleaded  Ce- 
cile, as  she  covered  Pearl's  cold  face  with  kisses,  call- 
ing upon  her  in  the  most  endearing  terms  to  open  her 
eyes. 

The  physician  replied  assuringly:  "There  is  not 
the  slightest  danger  of  death  in  rest  like  this." 

As  Doctor  Carlisle  turned  to  leave  the  room,  he 
paused  and  looked  back  to  take  the  lovely  picture  in 
again  and  carry  it  with  him.  The  contrast  in  these  two 
beautiful  girls  occupied  his  imagination  as  he  meas- 
ured with  swift  steps  the  distance  to  his  office. 

Doctor  Carlisle  had  never  before  separated  the  two 
girls  long  enough  to  make  any  comparison  between 
them.  His  interest  naturally  centered  in  Cecile  Veen, 
who,  if  not  the  coming  daughter  of  his  house,  was 
still  the  object  of  his  youthful  son's  Byronic  worship. 

As  the  door  closed  upon  Doctor  Carlisle,  Pearl's 
eyelids  quivered.  Opening  wide,  her  vision  rested 
with  a  sad  surprise,  long  and  silently  upon  the  tender 
face  bending  over  her;  and,  as  if  afraid  to  break  the 


202  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

spell,  both  gazed  into  each  other's  souls  as  spirits  may 
embrace.     Pearl  raised  herself  up,  pointing  to  the  ta- 
ble which  was  covered  with  closely  written  sheets 
and  two  addressed  envelopes,  one  in  a  cramped  hand, 
bearing  Pearl's  address  and  post-marked  St.  Saul. 
"I  see,"  said  Cecile,  "my  chum  has  made  her  will." 
"  Yes,  it  is  my  will.     Read  and   make  haste.      It  is 
late,  and  Lucien's  mother  waits  my  answer." 

"Ah?  Then  it  is  as  I  feared.  These  brainless, 
heartless,  fashion-lunatics,  whose  souls  might  all  be 
balanced  on  the  point  of  a  cambric  needle  without 
fear  of  jostling  each  other,  have  dared  to  frighten  you 
in  Lucien's  absence  'Tis  the  work  of  those  Tongue- 
worts.  Louisa  Tonguewort!  For  the  past  week  her 
carriage  has  stood  before  General  Evans  mansion. 

She  never  closes  either  eye, 
But  keeps  a  watch  continually, 

This  Argus,  hundred-eared, 
Hoping  to  catch  some  rumor  vile 
Afloat  in  dreams,  or  borne  on  smile, 

Or  accents  scarcely  heard. 

If  Mrs.  Evans  had  any  character  she  would  not  be 
influenced  by  such  a  creature.  So  long  as  General 
Evans  is  your  friend,  and  Lucien  remains  true,  why 
need  you  be  disturbed  by  anything  they  may  say  or 
write?  You  have  heard  from  Lucien,  have  you  not?" 

"  Sufficient  for  the  death  of  faith!  "  said  Pearl.     If 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  203 

there  is  more,  spare  the  too  trusting  ears  of  Ruby 
Clark.  Poor  girl ! 

Cecile  grew  faint,  believing  Pearl  delirious. 

"Ah,  how  long  this  day  is,  Cecile." 

"I  must  insist  that  you  compose  your  thoughts," 
said  Cecile,  "  and  if  you  love  me " 

"Love  you?"  said  Pearl,  "it  is  only  your  true  heart 
which  keeps  my  faith  from  breaking  with  the  world. 
But  hasten,  Cecile,  if  you  love  me.  First  read  her 
letter  or  you'll  misjudge  mine;  then  post  at  once." 

"  I  never  had  faith  in  Lucien,  as  the  son  of  such  a 
weakling  mother,"  said  Cecile. 

Pearl  closed  her  eyes  and  murmured:  "And  will 
you  love  me  still?" 

"  Forever,"  said  Cecile,  "  I  promise  you,  both  for 
myself  and  Stanley,  we  will  never  forsake  you.  I 
love  you,  Stanley  loves  you,  and  my  own  true  Hugh. 
What  a  trinity  of  hearts  you  may  depend  upon!" 

"  Thank  God  I'm  not  alone,"  said  Pearl.  "  If  you 
will  read  me  once  again  the  Prince  Imperial's  prayer, 
I'll  sleep." 

Say  not  a  soul  hath  lived  in  vain,  who  bequeaths  to 
the  world  an  invocation  to  his  God  like  this.  Cecile 
read  aloud: 

"  My  God:  I  give  to  Thee  my  heart;  but  give  to  me 
faith.  Without  faith  there  is  no  strong  prayer,  and 
to  pray  is  the  longing  of  my  soul.  I  pray,  not  that 


204  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

thou  shouldst  take  away  obstacles  from  my  path;  but 
that  thou  mayest  permit  me  to  overcome  them!  I  pray 
not  that  thou  shouldst  disarm  my  enemies ;  but  that 
thou  shouldst  aid  me  to  conquer  myself.  Hear,  O  God, 
my  prayer.  Preserve  to  my  affection  those  who  are 
dear  to  me.  Grant  them  happy  days.  If  thou  only 
givest  on  this  earth  a  certain  sum  of  joy,  take,  O  God, 
my  share,  and  bestow  on  the  most  worthy;  and  may 
the  most  worthy  be  my  friends.  If  thou  seekest  ven- 
geance upon  man,  strike  me!  Misfortune  is  converted 
into  happiness  by  the  sweet  thought  that  those  whom 
we  love  are  happy.  Happiness  is  poisoned  by  the 
bitter  thought  that  while  I  rejoice,  those  whom  I  love 
a  thousand  times  better  than  myself  are  suffering. 
For  me,  O  God,  no  more  happiness!  Take  it  from 
my  path.  I  can  only  find  joy  in  forgetting  the  past. 
If  I  forget  those  who  are  no  more,  I  shall  be  forgotten 
in  my  turn;  and  how  sad  the  thought  which  makes 
one  say:  '  Time  effaces  all! '  The  only  satisfaction  I 
seek  is  that  which  lasts  forever;  that  which  is  given 
by  a  tranquil  conscience.  O,  my  God'  show  me  ever 
where  my  duty  lies,  and  give  me  strength  to  accom- 
plish it  always.  Arrived  at  the  term  of  my  life,  I 
shall  turn  my  looks  fearlessly  to  the  past.  Remem- 
brance will  not  be  for  me  a  long  remorse.  Then  I 
shall  be  happy.  Grant,  O  God,  that  my  heart  may 
be  penetrated  with  the  conviction  that  those  whom  I 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  205 

love,  and  who  are  dead,  shall  see  all  my  actions ;  that ' 
my  life  shall  be  worthy  of  their  witness,  and  my  in- 
nermost thoughts  shall  never  make  them  blush ! ' ' 

When  Cecile  had  finished  the  reading  of  this  inim- 
itable prayer,  Pearl  closed  her  eyes,  saying:  "  Cecile, 
you  are  my  sole  dependence." 

As  for  Cecile  Veen,  she  anticipated  Pearl  had  been 
insulted.  The  proud,  indignant  girl  unfolded  Pearl's 
letter  and  read: 

GENERAL  AND  MRS.  EVANS: 

Tour  letter  has  reached  its 

destination,  my  heart  Never  before  have  I  questioned 
the  evidence  of  my  senses,  or  attempted  to  torture 
reality  into  a  horrible  dream. 

When  one  is  wounded  mortally,  the  power  of  human 
words— their  sole  defence — is  lost.  They  grope  for 
that  hand  which  reaches  down  through  darkness 
blacker  than  death. 

The  fact  that  you  have  presumed  imperious  dicta- 
tion in  that  which  God  never  intended  you  to  touch, 
aad  treated  as  a  society  peccadillo,  matters  of  con- 
science and  honor,  to  be  settled  between  the  human 
soul  and  God,  in  no  way  impairs  the  delicacy  of  my 
position,  or  justifies  me  in  forgetting  I  am  conversing 
with  the  father  and  mother  of  Lucien  Evans;  and  in 
my  reply,  must  neither  dishonor  my  exalted  dead,  or 
their  name  I  wear  and  deem  a  rich  inheritance. 

Beared  in  the  school  of  adversity,  I  have  yet  been 
so  sheltered  by  the  love  of  friends  that  the  conscious- 


206  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

ness  of  my  poverty  has  never  confronted  me  as  a  re- 
proach. Beyond  the  loss  of  the  privileges,  which 
lend  to  wealth,  its  God-ward  side,  my  soul  has  not 
been  creased  by  coils  of  poverty.  Your  pardon,  then, 
if  I  disclaim  to  be  identified  with  the  "audacious 
society  flight ' '  referred  to  in  your  letter. 

Why  should  I  soar  above  the  humble  roof  which 
has  so  amply  sheltered  me  and  mine?  'Twas  high 
enough  to  bear  my  angel  mother's  spirit  up  to  God, 
and  give  my  father  entrance  into  Heaven.  It  affects 
neither  the  airs  of  the  palace  nor  the  degredation  of 
the  hovel  in  its  modest  suggestions  that,  not  by  yours, 
but  Heaven's  consent,  I  step  up  higher. 

The  spirit  of  your  letter,  the  close  ties  of  consan- 
guinity, and  one's  true  heirship  to  ancestral  frailties, 
were  quite  enough  to  reason  love  away,  but,  having 
this  day  received  overtures  from  your  son,  pleading 
"  his  mother's  inexorableness  and  the  utter  impossi- 
bilities of  making  public  our  marriage,"  I  hasten  to 
reverse  my  fate  with  firm  NO !  since  on  the  side  of 
principle,  there  is  no  room  for  reasoning  further. 
Manhood,  chivalry  and  self-respect  lie  buried  in  this 
fatal  message;  and  while  I  feel  most  keenly  the  in* 
dignity  perpetrated  in  the  ficticious  pictures  you  have 
drawn  of  me  and  my  surroundings,  I  rejoice  that  my 
life  has  not  made  its  final  compromise  with  a  love  so 
unworthy,  but  that  the  flowers  of  a  false  affection  lie 
withered  at  my  feet,  revealing  the  abyss  their  airy 
nothingness  concealed.  Yet  with  this  renunciation 
of  a  "  rustic  pledge,"  would  I  be  wholly  just  to  one 
whose  companionship  has  embellished  so  large  a 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  207 

portion  of  my  existence.  I  believe  the  Lucien  Evans 
of  the  past,  and  the  Lucien  Evans  of  to  -day,  separate 
entities. 

A  young  man  who  could  not  face  domestic  opposi- 
tion, meeting  with  dignified  reserve  the  insolent  effron- 
tery of  the  meddling  world,  prepared,  if  need  be,  to 
withstand  an  armed  universe  of  frowning  faces  for 
her  he  loves,  is  a  fortunate  escape  to  any  girl. 

My  respect  for  the  father  and  mother  of  Lucien 
Evans  forbids  me  to  give  expression  to  my  feelings 
upon  the  climax  of  your  heaped  indignities,  "  the  sub- 
stantial reward."  If  Gilead's  balm  secretes  its  heal- 
ing powers  in  gold,  fling  it  to  her  your  choice  secures 
in  marriage  to  your  son.  Neither  love,  happiness  or 
glory  are  anything  to  me  if  purchased  at  the  expense 
of  the  humblest  fellow  being. 

For  Lucien,  I  retain  but  the  memory  of  mutual  es- 
teem, and  the  feeling  that,  without  bitterness,  we  have 
done  our  duty.  For  me,  love,  and  love  only  as  the 
boon  for  love! 

PEARL  LAGRANGE. 

"  Pearl's  letter  is  too  kind,  if  anything;  but  then 
Pearl  has  angelic  qualities,"  mused  Cecile. 

Somewhere  in  nature  there  is  a  reason  for  all  things; 
but  there  shall  never  be  any  science  to  explain  the 
mysterious  workings  of  the  human  heart.  Yet  Pearl 
LaGrange  could  not  lose  her  faith  in  human  nature, 
and,  though  keenly  alive  to  an  injury,  her  indignation 
never  survived  the  recovery  of  her  wounded  sensibili- 
ties but  for  a  moment,  and  all  was  forgotten. 


208  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Fate  seems  to  bestow  fortune  on  small  natures, 
rather  than  upon  the  children  of  genius;  which  is  in 
accordance  with  the  law  of  compensation,  since  the 
former  would  be  nothing  in  the  world  without  good 
fortune,  while  the  latter,  through  all  sorrow  and  loss, 
possess  the  priceless  treasures  of  the  ideal  world. 

In  youth  we  are  so  sanguine,  we  could  all  but 
fly  if  we  willed.  Certainly  we  can  move  men  and  the 
softer  rocks.  Our  heart-strings  are  harp-strings, 
which  vibrate  with  a  magic  nothing  can  resist.  We 
have  the  power  of  Orpheus;  the  self-love  of  Narcissus. 
If  we  are  rebuffed,  our  self-love  sustains  us.  Later 
on,  when  dimples  lengthen  into  wrinkles,  self-love 
turns  to  self-pity;  rebuffs  to  disappointments,  and 
disappointments  to  overthrow;  losses  are  irreparable; 
griefs  are  permanent  blight. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Rich  are  the  souls  for  love  divinely  fashioned, 
Since  love's  true  votaries  are  immortal  born. 

Aurora  springs  not  from  the  night  more  passioned, 
Than  they  from  sorrow's  midnight  into  morn. 

"Away  with  the  withered  rose  garlands,"  said  Pearl, 
tossing  rose  leaves  from  the  window  one  evening, 
weeks  after  Cecile's  tireless  watchings  had  been  re- 
warded by  the  complete  recovery  of  her  patient. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  209 

"The  'winter  of  my  discontent'  is  over,  spring 
has  come,  and  the  little  feathered  harbinger  which 
sang  me  the  glad  message  this  morning  shall  have  a 
token  of  my  gratitude  in  a  velvet  carpet  of  crimson 
leaves  the  next  time  his  feet  alight  upon  the  bare, 
cold  earth,"  and  as  Cecile  encountered  Pearl's  uplifted 
face,  it  seemed  to  her  the  old  light  had  all  come  back 
to  it;  only  there  was  more  delicacy,  more  spiritual 
beauty  and  fervor  in  the  shading. 

"  Well,  you  are  a  marvel,"  said  Cecile.  "  I  cannot 
understand  such  elasticity  of  spirits,  and  can  only 
liken  it  to  the  sun,  moon  and  stars,  suffering  them- 
selves to  be  snuffed  out  now  and  then,  just  to  take  in 
a  deeper  breath  of  ether  and  excite  anew  the  wonder 
and  admiration  of  every  beholder.  Oh  teach  me, 
Pearl,  the  secret  of  such  resignation." 

"  I  have  warned  you,"  said  Pearl,  "  that  happiness 
is  a  myth  if  pursued  for  its  own  sake  selfishly.  I 
can  see  the  hand  of  God  in  all  that  has  come  to  me — 
tribulation,  suffering,  the  loss  of  many  things  of  this 
life  on  which  one  has  leaned  for  comfort,  the  passing 
away,  or  the  failure  of  outside  friends— all  are  events 
whose  meaning  may  be  to  show  us  our  need  of  the 
Master." 

"Whence  all  this  knowledge,  Pearl?  Girls  of 
twenty  are  not  usually  such  epitomes  of  wisdom." 

"  From  the  school  of  experience,"  said  Pearl.    "  The 


210  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Italians  have  a  proverb:  'To  love  and  not  be  loved 
is  time  lost.' " 

"You  have  more  in  the  exhaustless  resources  within 
you,"  said  Cecile. 

"  How  I  rejoice,  dear  Pearl,  to  hear  such  spirited 
words  from  your  lips,  prophetic  of  a  destiny  worthy 
of  you.  Have  you  heard  the  latest  sensation  in  St. 
Saul?"  she  exclaimed,  as  her  eyes  caught  sight  of 
the  Tongueworts'  carriage  rolling  by. 

"  No,"  said  Pearl  abstractedly,  "  I  have  barely  made 
the  rounds  of  my  pupils  to-day,  without  an  item  of 
news  or  gossip." 

"Well"  continued  Cecile,  "imagine  the  most  ri- 
-diculous  thing  in  the  world,  and  then  imagine  some- 
thing ten  times  as  preposterous  and  ridiculous  on  top 
•of  that,  and  you  may  approximate  the  absurd  tale 
afloat  in  St.  Saul." 

"You  cannot  surprise  me;  so  proceed,"  said  Pearl. 

"  It  is  a  rumor  I  give  no  credence  to;  nor  would  I 
repeat  it  to  any  other  than  yourself,  out  of  respect 
to  Governor  Kellogg.  But  the  society  birds  are 
^,11  trimming  their  feathers  upon  it,  and  Louisa 
Tonguewort  does  not  contradict  the  report  that 
the  Governor's  second  wife  is  to  be  chosen  from 
the  stale  sisterhood  she  represents.  Papa  says  the 
wish  is  father  to  the  thought  on  the  part  of  Lou,  at 
least,  who  recently  resorted  to  the  brazen  strategy  of 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  211 

entering  the  Governor's  mansion  during  his  absence 
to  give,  what  she  calls  '  home-touches '  to  the  rooms, 
leaving  on  his  bureau  choice  boquets  from  her  con- 
servatory." 

"How  does  the  Governor  relish  such  exhibitions  of 
female  gallantry?  "  enquired  Pearl. 

"  He  greets  it  with  peals  of  laughter,  orders  the  ser- 
vant to  bring  the  tongs  and  fling  out  the  flowers,  and 
stands  swinging  the  door  of  his  room  back  and  forth 
to  fan  out  the  aroma  which  he  declares  he  is  afraid 
will  conjure  him."  * 

Here  the  girls  both  laughed. 

"  What  does  Doctor  Carlisle  think?  "  asked  Pearl. 

"Oh  he  fairly  raves,  declaring  the  slander  originated 
in  hades." 

"  Ah !  What  does  this  mean,  my  sly  little  charmer  ?  " 
exclaimed  Cecile,  suddenly  espying  some  lilies.  "These 
velvet  vases  are  as  fresh  and  dewy  as  if  just  plucked 
from  the  garden  of  the  Gods.  Have  I  discovered 
secrets  not  intended  for  me  to  share,  locked  in  that 
heart  which  has  for  years  been  the  sole  receptacle  of 
mine?" 

Pearl  colored  to  the  temples,  and  tears  filled  her 
eyes  at  these  earnest,  have-reproachful  words,  spoken 
impulsively. 

"My  darling,"  said  Pearl,  "you  must  never  distrust 
me.  I  never  had,  shall  never  have,  a  thought  un- 


212  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

shared  by  you.  This  spray  of  lilies  is  as  great  a 
mystery  to  me  as  to  yourself,  though  every  day  it  is 
renewed,  and  every  morning,  rise  T  ever  so  early,  I 
find  these  floral  foundlings  fluttering  like  a  tiny  flock 
of  white-winged  birds,  upon  the  outer  ledge  of  my 
street  window.  They  have  now  become  in  some  occult 
way  necessary  to  my  existence.  I  wear  them  over  my 
heart  waking  or  sleeping,  until  I  have  come  to  dread 
more  than  any  future  disappointment,  aye,  more  even 
than  death  itself,  the  morning  which  shall  find  my 
window  ledge  bare,  and  my  breathing  atmosphere  no 
longer  bounded  in  their  odorous  spell." 

Cecile  smiled  and  said:  "In  looking  at  the  flowers 
I  am  convinced  they  never  came  from  Lucien  Evans. 
Their  language  is  expressive  of  more  soul,  and  a 
higher  type  of  love  than  he  is  capable  of." 

"  Think  you  I'd  wear  them  if  I  did  not  know  Lucien 
Evans  never  culled  them?"  interrupted  Pearl.  "At 
first  I  thought  they  were  his  gift,  coming  as  they  did 
on  the  morning  of  my  resurrection  from  that  awful 
sick-bed;  and  the  Scotch  blood  in  me  leapt  in  indig- 
nation to  resent  the  insult.  So  I  wrote  upon  a  slip  of 
paper,  -leaving  it  fluttering  out  of  the  cluster,  these 
words:  'If  these  lilies  are  for  me,  and  from  L.  E.,  I 
return  them  with  scorn.  The  sod  upon  my  grave 
fifty  years  after  burial,  would  shudder  them  off,  P.  L.' 
The  next  morning  the  old  bunch  with  the  note  at- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  213 

tached  to  it  was  gone,  and  in  its  place  lay  fresh  lilies, 
with  this  poem:" 

TO  A  LILY. 

Across  my  path  from  day  to  day, 

A  lily  blossoms,  fair  as  May, 
A  pure,  white  lily,  and  I  asked 
The  angel  good,  who  with  it  passed 

To  give  the  name  of  this  sweet  flower, 

And  lead  me  to  its  love-lit  bower. 


The  angel  came  that  very  night, 

A  seraph  escort  was  our  light, 
He  bore  my  sorrowing  spirit  where 
A  young  life  wrestled,  dazed  with  care. 

"There  are  of  whom,"  the  angel  said, 

"  The  world  is  all  unworthy,  read 
By  the  pure  eyes  of  God  alone, 
And  only  to  his  angels  known." 

"  To  you  I  give  the  mystic  key, 
Truth,  love  and  honor  as  you  see." 
/V  lily  blossomed  in  his  hand, 
I  reached  to  pluck  it — all  the  land 
Lay  white  with  lilies,  but  this  one 
He  held  had  never  seen  the  sun. 
I  knelt  to  kiss  the  angel's  feet, 
And  woke  to  life  and  woe  complete; 

Yet  blest  the  angel  from  that  hour 
Who  named  for  me  my  wayside  flower, 
And  to  her  shrine,  with  reverence  bring 
These  scented  feathers  from  his  wing. 
Within  their  pure  aromal  charms 
My  love  holds  out  its  open  arms, 
And  in  the  mirror  of  her  eyes 
Is  doomed  to  death,  or  Paradise! 


214  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

As  Cecile  held  it  up  before  the  window  she  discov- 
ered at  the  bottom  of  the  page,  and  beneath  the  date, 
a  very  ingeniously  wrought  monogram.  To  any  but 
Cecile's  eyes  it  might  have  passed  for  a  little  flourish 
of  the  pen. 

At  her  discovery  Cecile  acted  like  one  under  the  in- 
fluence of  ether,  flying  around  the  room,  clapping  her 
hands  and  dancing.  She  completely  non-plussed  her 
friend,  who  sat  staring  at  her  enthusiastic  demonstra- 
tions with  a  more  puzzled  than  amused  expression, 
for  Pearl  was  in  no  mood  for  a  frolic. 

"  Well,  what  is  it,"  said  Pearl.  "  Do  you  recognize 
the  chirography,  and  have  I  been  the  victim  of  an- 
other deception?" 

"Oh,  Pearl!  It  exceeds  my  fondest  anticipations  for 
you  !"  said  Cecile. 

Pearl  reached  out  for  the  manuscript;  but  Cecile, 
putting  it  playfully  behind  her,  said:  "  No;  it  is  my 
privilege,  after  having  discovered  your  lover  to  un- 
mask him  for  you." 

"  You  are  not  at  all  sure  I  shall  share  your  enthusi- 
asm. The  charm  may  be  broken,"  said  Pearl. 

"Never  fear!  "  said  Cecile,  "Your  lover  is  one  the 
proudest  girl  might  thank  her  stars  to  captivate;  but 
who  has  had  the  sense  and  penetration  to  distinguish 
a  real  gem,  though  hidden  away  under  a  city-full  of 
human  rubbish.  The  hour  is  darkest  just  before  dawn. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  215 

Josephine  Beauharnais  was  ordered  to  prepare  for 
the  guillotine  the  night  before  the  morning  on  which 
the  prison  doors  opened  and  her  feet  were  set  in  the 
flower-paths  which  led  to  a  throne." 

"How  long  do  these  mental  aberrations  usually 
continue  with  you?"  The  door  was  thrown  open  by 
Aunt  Meg,  who  held  up  her  finger  and  the  interesting 
conversation  was  cut  short. 

Both  girls  had  Hugh  Carlisle  in  their  thoughts  as 
they  caught  glimpses  of  a  figure  following  Aunt  Meg. 
Another  moment  and  this  illusion  was  broken,  and 
the  girls  were  both  locked  in  the  arms  of  Stanley 
Veen. 

"  My  precious  brother!  "  said  Cecile.  "And  mine! " 
added  Pearl,  with  tears  of  joy  sparkling  on  her  cheeks. 

"  Where  did  you  come  from,  and  when  arrive  ?"  said 
Pearl,  leading  him  to  a  chair. 

"  From  the  gardens  of  Mexico;  landed  at  sunset  in 
St.  Saul.  I  thought  I  should  find  you  together. 
Strike  a  light,  dear  Pearl,  I  want  to  see  what  the  year 
has  accomplished  with  my  sisters.  Time  is  a  capital 
artist  in  handling  nature.  We  ought  to  be  able  to 
defy  him  for  many  years  to  come. 

Stanley  sat  silently  gazing  into  the  faces  of  the  two 
girls. 

"  I  think  heaven  has  been  kind  to  keep  you  all  so 
fresh  and  natural.  My  journal  puts  a  year  and  more 


216  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

between  us;  your  faces,  but  a  night.  How  I  have 
longed  to  see  you.  And  now  that  heaven  has  proved 
itself  worthy  to  be  trusted  in  the  care  of  its  own,  I 
am  ready  to  go  back  to  my  work." 

"  Oh  Stanley,"  cried  Cecile,  "I  was  in  hopes  this 
trip  would  cure  you  of  your  quixotism.  Why  not  in- 
augurate social  reform  right  here?  " 

"  You  might  as  well  ask  the  preachers  why  they  do 
not  commence  tackling  sinners  in  purgatory,"  replied 
Stanley.  "  Why  this  is  the  very  hot-bed  of  social  de- 
moralization, where  every  other  wealthy  man  is  mar- 
ried to  his  servant  girl." 

"Oh  Stanley!"  interrupted  Cecile,  "that  reminds 
me  of  the  report  about  Governor  Kellogg." 

"  If  there  are  any  battles  to  be  fought  for  him,  I 
will  enter  the  arena  cheerfully,"  said  Stanley. 

"  Well,  who  do  you  think  is  to  be  the  second  Mrs. 
Kellogg?"  put  in  Cecile,  enjoying  the  effect  of  her 
words  on  her  brother's  face. 

"I  cannot  imagine,"  said  Stanley,  "no  one  in  this 
saintly  (?)  vicinage,  I  trust?  " 

"Louisa  Tongue  wort!"  exclaimed  Cecile,  with  a 
twinkle  in  her  eyes. 

"Louisa  Tongue  wort !"  echoed  Stanley,  <:  Louisa 
Tonguewort!  Perdition  seize  the  thought." 

The  girls  laughed. 

"  Remember,"   said  Pearl,   "that  love  is  the  only 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  217 

• 

king  whose  subjects  never  rebel.  When  women  rebel, 
it  is  not  against  love,  but  against  some  pretender." 

"  True,"  said  Stanley.  "Yet  Alexander  Dumas 
struck  at  the  root  of  this  social  upas  tree  when  he  de- 
clared friendship  to  be  a  nobler  sentiment  than  love. 
'  I  have  observed  love  attentively ;'  he  said,  '  it  disturbs 
the  judgment  and  perverts  the  conscience.  You  side 
with  the  beloved  one,  right  or  wrong.  What  personal 
degredation.  I  observe,  too,'  said  he,  '  that  a  grand 
passion  is  a  grand  misfortune;  that  victims  of  it  are 
always  in  a  storm  of  hope,  fear,  doubt,  jealousy,  rap- 
ture, rage;  and  the  eud  is  deceit,  or  else  satiety. 
Friendship  is  steady  and  peaceful;  not  much  jealousy; 
no  heart  burnings.  It  strengthens  with  time,  and 
survives  the  small-pox  and  a  wooden  leg.' '' 

The  girls  both  refused  to  endorse  this  sentiment, 
and  Stanley  added: 

"  I  see  no  cure  for  you  until  the  fiery  ardor  of  your 
anticipations  shall  have  been  quenched  in  the  matri- 
monial knot;  until  fleshly  beauties  shall  have  ceased 
to  be  considered,  and  the  true  color  of  the  soul  shall 
have  been  put  to  test  by  the  bleaching  rains  of  afflic- 
tion. Then,  and  then  only,  is  true  love  proved." 

"  Cecile,  come.  Good  night  dear  Pearl! "  The  girls 
embraced,  and  Cecile  and  Stanley  disappeared  in  the 
darkness.  The  old,  weather-stained  door  of  the  cot- 
tage was  softly  closed,  and  Pearl  entered  her  little 


218  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

bed-chamber,  yet  fragrant  with  the  loved  presence  of 
her  dearest  friends.  "  Surely  God  hath  never  forgot- 
ten to  be  gracious! "  she  murmered,  as  she  knelt  to 
commit  herself  into  the  keeping  of  his  angels.  "One 
by  one,  I  have  suffered  my  hopes  to  be  trampled  into 
the  dust;  but  my  heavenly  father  has  never  permitted 
the  world  to  take  from  me  these  faithful  hearts." 

Pearl  caught  sight  of  the  poem,  which  had  been 
thrown  upon  her  dressing  table,  and  forgotten  in  the 
greeting  of  Stanley  Veen. 

"Now  for  the  key  to  Cecile's  merriment,"  thought 
Pearl,  as  she  unfolded  the  paper,  this  time  holding  it 
between  herself  and  the  light.  Her  countenance 
changed,  and  she  was  ready  to  distrust  her  senses. 
Within  the  circle  of  an  official  seal  ( the  most  delicate 
and  phantom-like  impression  paper  could  receive) 
were  the  initials;  "C.  K." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

What  is  the  grandest,  noblest,  holiest  thing, 
A  rapturous  thought  of  God,  which  angels  sing, 

Answer,  my  heart,  at  Heaven's  divine  control — 

A  sense  of  duty  in  the  human  soul. 

A  perfect  June  day  means  a  brilliant  list  of  fault- 
less qualities  in  earth  and  air,  the  fresh,  ripe  verdure 
of  the  wood;  the  universal  sense  of  God  and  good;  the 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  219 

marriage  of  the  heavens  and  earth ;  the  light  which 
pulsates  rapturously  on  soul  and  sight;  these  sang  the 
words,  a  perfect  day  in  June.  And  this  day,  like 
every  other  blessing  in  the  world,  was  going  out  on 
declining  waves  of  light,  through  the  bars  of  sunset, 
as  Doctor  Carlisle  passed  through  a  line  of  maples  and 
entered  his  private  grounds.  His  wife  opened  the 
the  door. 

"  Why,  what  a  charming  transformation,  little  wife/' 
said  the  genial  husband.  "  You  must  have  captured 
several  gardens  to  produce  this  floral  effect." 

"  Not  a  cornice  has  been  slighted  "  she  said,  "  and 
Hugh's  room  is  a  floral  bower.  Now  feast  your  eyes, 
for  this  is  really  the  work  of  fairies." 

The  Doctor  shaded  his  eyes. 

"  This  is  artistic,"  said  his  wife. 

The  life  size  portrait  of  Hugh  was  surrounded  with 
flowers  and  buds. 

Cecile  Veen  and  Pearl  LaGrange  had  assisted  in 
the  decoration. 

"I  can  scarcely  wait  the  in-coming  train!"  ex- 
claimed the  happy  mother,  "  and  am  sorry  we  did  not 
postpone  this  reception  for  Hugh  until  to-morrow 
evening. 

"Ah,  yes,  little  wife;  a  woman's  vanity  is  irrepress- 
ible. I  suppose  you  think  the  wedding  of  Kuby  Clark 
and  Lucien  Evans  will  deter  a  goodly  number  of  in- 


220  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

vited  guests  from  beholding  your  laureed  graduate 
to-night  This  honorable  degree  is  rarely  conferred 
upon  a  youth  of  nineteen.  I  am  proud  of  him  myself; 
but  most  of  our  friends  will  come,  I  think;  as  there  is 
a  grave  contingency  holding  that  wedding  back  to- 
night— entre  nous:  The  Governor  told  me  a  few  even- 
ings ago,  that  a  large  sum  of  money  is  missing  from 
the  Clifford  Bank,  and  the  teller,  young  Evans,  is  held 
accountable.  If  this  sum  is  not  forthcoming  before 
the  appointed  hour,  the  wedding  bells  of  St.  Mark 
will  be  dumb." 

"  Oh  this  is  terrible.  I  pity  Mrs.  Evans  if  Lucieii 
has  really  been  dishonorable,"  said  Mrs.  Carlisle. 

"  You  need  not  waste  any  tenderness  upon  her. 
She  is  uttterly  incapable  of  feeling." 

But  while  this  peaceful  domestic  scene  is  transpir- 
ing, other  events  are  crowding  in. 

****** 

The  vesper  bells  ceased  ringing  as  Pearl  LaGrauge 
repaired  to  her  room  to  make  her  toilette,  expecting 
Cecile's  carriage  to  call  and  take  her  to  the  reception 
at  Doctor  Carlisle's. 

A  loud  rap  at  the  street  door  startled  Pearl  from 
her  reverie,  and,  she  hastened  to  answer  the  summons. 

"  Why,  Nan  Oliver,  how  you  frightened  me.  What 
in  the  world  sent  you  way  out  here  to-night?" 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  221 

"  La,  Miss  Pearl,  ye  aint  going  to  get  married,  bez 
ye?  I  said  I'd  hurt  that  bad  man  if  I  could;  and  I 
just  come  over  to  tell  ye  how  I  done  it." 

"Why,  what  have  you  done?" 

"  I  mean  to  say,  that  Lukin  Evans  can't  get  married 
to-night." 

"Nan,  tell  me  quickly  what  you  have  done  to  Mr. 
Evans?  " 

"  I've  settled  his  hash,  you  bet,"  and  the  girl  ran 
her  gaunt  hand  into  a  pocket  and  pulled  out  a  package. 

"What  is  this,  Nan?" 

"  Money,  Miss  Pearl.  You  need'nt  tell  anybody. 
I  took  it  from  Evans  on  Mercer  Street,  near  Dark 
Alley.  He  has  been  coming  through  there  every 
evening,  and  t'other  night  he  stopped  sudden,  and 
seemed  to  be  looking  for  something.  A  lot  of  bundles 
fell  out  of  his  pocket  and  I  snatched  this.  I  did'nt 
know  what  it  was  till  I  seen  it  the  next  day." 

Pearl  drew  on  her  black  waterproof  and  placing  the 
package  in  an  inside  pocket,  proceeded  with  rapid 
steps  to  the  Evans  mansion. 

"Can  I  see  General  Evans  a  moment?" 

The  General  was  the  soul  of  courtesy,  and  would 

sooner  have  kept  a  prince  waiting,  than  a  beggar  at 

his  kitchen  door.    So  he  hastened  to  receive  the  caller. 

"  I  have  a  package  for  your  son,  I  trust  it  may  prove 


222  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

to   be  the   missing  banknotes,"   said  Pearl  huskily, 
handing  the  parcel  to  the  General. 

"It  is,  it  is!  Thank  God,  I  know  it  is!  God  bless 
you!  Oh  God  bless  you! " 

"  Examine  it  please,"  continued  Pearl,  "  and  see 
that  the  money  is  all  there;  otherwise  I  will  see  that 
it  is  replaced." 

"  Oh  yes,"  said  the  General,  and  taking  it  to  the 
light  he  carefully  went  through  it. 

Some  time  was  required  for  this;  but  Pearl,  though 
urged  to  enter  and  be  seated,  remained  in  the  shadow 
of  the  half  closed  door. 

Presently  the  General  approached  her,  saying  in 
his  happiest  tone :  "  It  is  all  here.  Let  me  reward 
you." 

Pearl  started  down  the  steps — 
"  Here,  girl,  to  whom  am  I  indebted?" 
Pearl  turned  and  said:    "To  a   poor   creature   on 
Mercer  Street,  in  the  Charity  Mission  School."     As 
Pearl  said  this  the  door  was  opened  by  the  General's 
son,  and  the  light  streamed   full   on   her   face.     The 
General  recognized  her. 

"Righteous  God!  "  exclaimed  he,  "we  are  saved, 
Lucien,  and  our  good  angel  is  Pearl  LaGrange." 

Pearl  flew,  as  if  suddenly  endowed  with  wings;  and 
when,  an  hour  later,  the  marriage  chime  pealed  forth 
from  the  tower  of  St.  Mark's,  she  sat  alone  in  the 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  223 

moon-lighted  room  of  her  cottage,  listening  to  the 
happy  bells. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

I  am  instructed  from  sweet  Heaven  to  write, 

That  soul  in  error  and  impaired  of  sight, 

Who  would  the  memory  of  love's  falsehood  soothe 

By  falsely  swearing  "true  love  ne'er  runs  smooth." 

First  to  thyself,  O  loving  heart,  be  true, 

As  streamlet  to  itself  in  mirror  view, 

Then  it  must  follow,  as  the  sun  the  sea, 

That  true  souls  only  shall  be  drawn  to  thee. 

The  mystery  of  Pearl's  absenting  herself  from  the 
reception  given  to  young  Carlisle  was  the  greatest 
disappointment  Cecile  had  ever  experienced,  and  was 
especially  annoying,  since  it  must  continue  a  puzzle 
for  the  next  twenty-four  hours. 

On  the  day  following,  Hugh  Carlisle  and  Cecile 
Veen  visited  the  LaGrange  cottage. 

"  You  anticipated  me,  I  am  not  deserving  of  such 
attentions,"  said  Pearl,  holding  Cecile's  hand. 

"  That  shall  be  decided  later;  and  it  will  take  a 
round  apology,  with  no- ragged  edges,  to  satisfy  us," 
rejoined  Cecile. 

"  Nan  Oliver,  her  hair  unkempt,  and  flying  in  stiff 
tangles  over  her  ragged  frock — " 

"  I  told  you  so!"    interrupted   Cecile,  addressing 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Hugh.  "  I  would  have  pledged  all  my  possessions, 
save  Hugh,  that  you  sacrificed  yourself  to  minister  to 
some  of  those  squalid  denizens  of  Mercer  Street." 

"  It  was  a  most  important  charity  errand,  one  that 
I  could  neither  postpone,  nor  delegate  to  another." 

"  And  you  were  right;   but  how  unfortunate  these 
episodes  of  mercy  are,  which  forbid  all  leisure, 
think  you  ought  to  resign  your  place  in  the  Mission 
School." 

"  If  it  ever  interferes  with  my  home  duties,  I  may," 
said  Pearl. 

"  Not  romantic  or  poetical  either,"  said  Cecile,  with 
playful  irony.     Please  explain  the  light  in  your  win- 
dow, which  flashes  invariably  in  the  direction  of  Ter- 
race Hill,  and  which  has   certain  hours  for  flaming, 
observed  and  commented  upon  by  the  neighborhood.'* 
Pearl  blushed  crimson,  and  answered: 
"Suppose  I  have  a  vestal   flame   burning  through 
the  dark  hours,  teing  the  solitary  goddess  of  my  own 
hearthstone;  I  am  privileged  to  indulge  this  eccen- 
tricity, am  I  not?  " 

"Aye,  and  any  and  all  others  which  commend  them- 
selves to  your  discretion.  Never  mind  Hugh ;  I  was 
compelled  to  explain  to  him  the  romance  of  the  flow- 
ers which  peeped  out  of  Governor  Kellogg's  vest  last 
evening,  and  which  seemed  to  say  to  every  beholder: 
'where  is  my  whiter  ^lovelier  self?  ' ' 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  225 

"  Leave  something  for  Pearl  to  say,"  said  Hugh. 

Pearl  touched  her  cluster  of  lilies,  saying:  "Pro- 
ceed. I  approve  your  sentiments." 

"Then,"  continued  Hugt,  "Permit  me  to  add  what 
occured  to  my  mind  when  Cecile  told  me  of  the  Gover- 
nor's devotion  to  you.  Be  prepared  to  be  led  speedily 
to  the  altar,  for  I  remember  to  have  heard  him  say, 
some  years  ago,  regarding  marriage,  that  he  was  op- 
posed to  long  engagements ;  rather  a  serious  comment 
upon  Cecile 's  and  mine,  now  nearly  twelve  months 
old.  However,  if  the  Governor's  diplomacy  in  con- 
ducting his  love  affairs  continues  to  the  end,  the  event 
of  his  marriage  will  be  like  the  dashing  of  a  cyclone 
through  the  heavens  at  noon-day.  Madame  Grundy 
will  commit  suicide  by  leaping  from  her  stilts,  and 
her  vain  followers  stricken  dumb  with  discomfiture, 
will  sit  down  and  hate  themselves.  If  Cecile  con- 
sent," he  continued,  "  we  will  double  the  shock." 

"  You  forget  that  Doctor  Carlisle  is  to  be  shocked 
first,  by  asking  his  consent,"  said  Cecile  with  a  smile. 

"Not  at  all,"  answered  Hugh,  "there  exists  but  one 
valid  objection  to  our  marriage  to-morrow.  I  think, 
however,  I  could  overcome  this.  In  France,  you  know, 
one  is  just  as  old  as  one  looks;  no  more,  no  less;  and 
I  look  twenty-five."  Both  of  the  girls  laughed  heart- 
ily. Hugh  continued:  "This  is  my  good  fortune,  and 
readily  accounted  for.  An  only  child  is  a  lonely  child. 


226  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

His  powers  of  endurance  must  be  greater,  called  upon 
as  he  is  to  receive  all  the  parental  attention." 

"Were  I  you,  with  both  time  and  money  at  com- 
mand, for  the  next  year  or^fcwo  I  would  listen  to  the 
voice  of  my  genius  and  stifle  that  of  my  heart,"  said 
Pearl,  giving  Cecile  a  look  askance. 

"  I  see  a  gentleman  struggling  with  the  gate,"  said 
Hugh. 

"  O  that  crazy  wicket.  It  has  threatened  to  put  us 
in  the  street  for  a  year  past,"  said  Pearl. 

"  Never  mind,  "  replied  Hugh,  very  softly.  "  It  is 
Governor  Kellogg;  and  I  prophecy  your  crazy  little 
wicket  will  shortly  be  exchanged  for  a  Terrace  Hill 
palace  gate.  Come  Cecile ;  Pearl  will  excuse  us  now, 
as  we  are  some  minutes  past"  due  at  Col.  Veen's." 

"  Good-night,  and  God  bless  our  darling! "  said  Ce- 
cile, as  hand  in  hand  she  and  Hugh  disappeared 
through  the  rear  entrance. 

In  another  moment  Pearl  had  welcomed  the  Gover- 
nor, and  as  Aunt  Meg  of  late  occupied  her  evenings 
in  a  sleepy-hollow  chair  at  a  remote  corner  of  the 
room,  until  their  guest  was  announced,  she  only  lin- 
gered now  to  catch  the  music  of  Pearl's  greeting,  and 
then  retired,  her  heart  aglow. 

The  night  was  bright,  the  clear  heavens  packed  with 
stars  and  the  air  soft  and  gentle  as  zephyrs  blowing 
over  violets. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  227 

"  Let  us  sit  out  under  the  tent  of  stars,"  said  the 
Governor.  "  Bring  your  guitar,  Pearl,  and  sing  me 
the  song  I  sent  you  as  a  substitute  for  myself  the 
evening  I  failed  to  come.  Have  you  committed  the 
words?" 

"  I  have,"  said  Pearl,  who  had  made  the  rendering 
of  this  piece  a  faithful  study. 

"  She  is  beautiful  as  a  dream ;  but  I  must  not  tell 
her  so,"  said  the  Governor  mentally,  as  Pearl  returned 
with  her  guitar,  seated  herself  on  the  low  step  at  his 
feet  and  commenced  tuning  her  instrument  for  the 
song. 

"All  this  preparatory  work  to  bring  the  instrument 
into  harmony  with  the  song? "said  the  Governor. 
"  It  is  wonderful  the  jangling  and  discordant  world 
has  never  made  useful  deductions  from  these  art  sym- 
bols, with  practical  illustrations  upon  the  '  Harp  of  a 
thousand  strings,'  which  is  always  out  of  tune.  I 
fancy  one  skilled  in  the  art  of  coaxing  an  instrument 
like  this  out  of  one  mood  into  another,  ought  to  be 
able  to  manipulate  the  chords  of  the  human  soul,  even 
though  unstrung  and  sadly  tensioned,  like  mine. 
Pearl,  dear  girl,  I  cannot  go  back  to  Terrace  Hill  to- 
night without  your  answer.  I  have  waited  now  longer 
than  my  strong  love  approves."  The  Governor's 
voice  trembled  and  its  rich  tones  rose  and  fell  with 
deep  feeling.  It  was  as  though  over  that  social 


228  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Sodom  had  floated  suddenly  a  breath  of  purer  air, 
when  into  the  "  wrapt  porches  "  of  Pearl's  ears  caine 
the  earnest,  never  to  be  forgotten  words:  "I  love 
you,  and  would  devote  myself  to  you  forever.  Will 
you  be  mine?" 

The  instrument  was  silent.  There  was  a  lull  in  the 
breeze  which  a  moment  before  rustled  audibly  through 
the  rich  foliage  above  them. 

"All  nature  waits  with  me,"  said  the  Governor. 
"Am  I  to  go  unblessed,  or  crowned?  I'll  wait  as  long 
as  night  waits  for  the  morn,  but  never  will  I  sleep 
the  sleep  of  life  and  hope  again,  until  you  answer  me." 

Pearl  lifted  her  eyes  to  her  lover  and  the  tears 
which  filled  them  were  her  only  answer  He  opened 
his  arms.  Pearl  answered: 

"No,  I  will  sing  you  my  answer." 

The  Governor  folded  his  arms,  saying: 

"  If  you  sing  me  No. 
Beware,  I'll  never  go! 
If  you  sing  me  Yea, 
I  may  forever  stay. 
So  yea,  or  nay, 
I'm  yours  alway." 

It  was  as  though  the  dumb  and  yearning  soul  had 
found  a  voice — soft  and  sweet.  The  Governor  felt 
his  heart  beating  faster  than  the  notes  which  accom- 
panied the  following  words: 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  229 

PEARL'S  ANSWER. 

My  hopes  lay  dead,  and  life  grew'cold, 

I  lost  the  power  of  feeling, 
I  shut  my  heart  against  the  world, 

That  it  might  die  congealing. 

When  lo,  whit*  wings  against  thejpane 

Tapped  gently  to  me,  ringing 
From  velvet  belle,  a  tender  name 

The  night  winds  all  were  singing. 

I  opened  wide  my  window  bars; 

All  earthly  sounds  were  fleeting, 
Yet  I  could  hear  the  wheeling  stars 

The  lovely  name  repeating. 

"  It  is  an  angel's  voice,"  I  said, 
"  Expressing  heaven's  compassion," 

My  faith  in  God  was  not  yet  dead; 
I  knelt,  a  prayer  to  fashion. 

Soft  odors  all  my  soul  caressed, 

And  in  my  hands  uplifted, 
The  winds  a  spray  of  lilies  pressed, 

Which  through  the  casement  drifted. 

I  knelt  again:  "  Dear  God,"  I  said, 

"  I  thank  Thee  for  this  token. 
Love's  shadow  only  lieth  dead; 

Love's  life,  these  flowers  have  spoken." 

"  Strange  world,"  said  the  Governor.    "Always  kind 
and  wise  to  its  children  at  the  last." 


230  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

CHAPTEK  XXI. 

Must  innocence  forever  suffer  wrong 
Because  of  skulking  guilt  throughout  the  land? 
The  tortured  soul  enquires,  with  outstretched  hand 

Toward  Heaven:  How  long,  0  Lord,  how  long? 

One  who  witnesses  the  gathering  of  the  clouds  can 
predict  the  lightning  and  the  storm;  so  he  who  knows 
his  own  heart,  knows  also  what  it  will  bring  forth. 

Doctor  Carlisle  had  not  been  to  his  office  for  a  week, 
but  his  slate  hung  out. 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life,  Hugh  found  matters 
of  a  confidential  nature  concealed  from  him.  His 
father  and  mother  had  been  closeted  in  the  library 
of  late,  day  and  night.  He  felt  cut,  but  resolved  to 
suspend  his  judgment  and  wait. 

The  glory  of  autumn,  that  strange  poetic  period  of 
nature's  unrest,  which  thrills  the  sensitive  soul  like 
sorrowful  melody,  was  at  its  height.  Mysterious  in- 
fluence, exalted  by  divine  poets  and  pronounced  "  the 
soul  of  the  world."  Whence  comes  this  adoration 
sublime  ? 

The  evening  was  far  spent,  yet  the  lamps  had  not 
been  lighted  at  the  Carlisle's.  The  doctor  and  his 
wife  sat  by  an  open  casement,  a  domestic  picture  mar- 
red only  by  the  sad  thoughts  which  occupied  both. 

"  The  same  thing  might  have  occurred  with  a  less 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  231 

happy  choice,"  said  Doctor  Carlisle,  "had  we  remained 
at  Stratford,  or '  removed  to  the  antipodes.  Young 
people  find  their  affinities  everywhere,  and  parents 
cannot  keep  them  from  falling  in  love  and  getting 
married.  You  remember  the  old  song  with  the  re- 
frain: '  If  my  grandmother  had  died  an  old  maid?' ' 

O  Louis,  if  we  had  only  placed  the  Atlantic  between 
us  and  this  awful  secret,  it  could  then  have  been  bur- 
ied with  us.  My  dear,  good  husband,  you  will  kill  me 
if  you  persist  in  a  pursuit  of  the  mystery.  The  best 
years  of  our  lives  have  been  sacrificed.  I  entreat  you 
to  realize  we  have  done  our  utmost," 

"  Your  logic  is  very  bad,  little  wife.  After  having 
pursued  a  worthy  object  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, you  may  rest  assured  I  shall  not  abandon  it,  un- 
less overtaken  by  death.  I  admit  I  may  have  peculiar 
notions  to  gratify  in  the  premises;  but  if  I  live,  I  shall 
unravel  one  of  the  greatest  social  mysteries  ever 
heard  of. 

Here  the  closing  of  the  front  gate  announced  the 
return  of  their  son. 

The  doctor  arose,  throwing  the  doors  of  the  library 
open. 

"What!  All  dressed  in  moonlight?"  exclaimed 
Hugh,  as  he  gave  his  mother  a  kiss,  threw  himself  at 
her  feet  and  pillowed  his  head  in  her  lap. 

"What  do  you  think  of  a  year  at  Cambridge?     If 


232  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

you  will  go  this  fall,  your  mother  and  I  will  join  you 
during  the  winter." 

"  Capital!  In  some  respects,"  responded  Hugh. 
"  In  others  it  clashes  with  plans  I  have  for  the  near 
future." 

"  Let  us  hear  some  of  your  plans,"  said  his  father. 

Hugh  quickly  responded:  "You  may  recall  my 
fruitless  attempt  to  converse  with  you  both  regarding 
a  matter  of  personal  importance." 

"  I  shall  have  to  defer  this  conversation,"  said  the 
doctor. 

"  Please  sir,"  said  the  servant,  "Col.  Veen's  coach- 
man has  called  to  see  Mr.  Hugh." 

"For  me!"  exclaimed  Hugh,  leaping  to  his  feet 
"  I  fear  the  Colonel  is  ill.  He  is  depressed  of  late. 
I  infer  he  has  some  business  trouble  too." 

"Little  wife,"  said  Doctor  Carlisle,  lowering  his 
voice  almost  to  a  whisper  as  the  door  closed  upon 
Hugh,  "  I  have  it  all  in  a  nut-shell.  Colonel  Veen  is 
going  to  pieces  financially  through  the  notoriously 
reckless  extravagance  of  his  wife.  This  impending 
catastrophe  has,  without  doubt,  suggested  to  the 
Madame  the  speedy  marriage  of  Cecile  to  Hugh,  as  a 
mercenary  expedient.  While  I  believe .  Col.  Veen  to 
be  above  such  intriguery,  I  know  the  vicious  influen- 
ces exerted  over  him  so  long  cannot  be  overcome  now 
on  the  very  brink  of  ruin." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  233 

"Well,  what  has  happened?  "  said  Doctor  Carlisle, 
startled  by  the  intense  expression  of  Hugh's  counte- 
nance, as  he  entered  the  room  with  an  open  letter  in 
his  hand. 

Hugh's  voice  had  a  nervous  tremor  in  it,  as  he  an- 
swered: 

"  I  have  a  letter  from  Cecile  which  will  explain  to 
you  my  position. 

"Some  months  ago,  Cecile,  Pearl  and  I  made  a  sol- 
emn pledge  to  be  united  in  marriage  at  the  same  altar 
at  the  same  hour.  A  remarkable  change  in  Pearl's 
plans  brings  us  suddenly  face  to  face  with  our  oath. 
I  will  read  Cecile's  note: 

DEAR  HUGH: 

You  had  but  just  withdrawn,  when  a  courier 
dashed  into  our  grounds  bringing  us  all  to  our  feet. 
It  was  a  dispatch  from  Pearl,  announcing  the  depart- 
ure of  Governor  Kellogg  for  Washington  to-morrow, 
where  he  will  be  detained  some  days.  He  will  not 
consent  to  leave  Pearl  behind;  in  short,  Governor 
Kellogg  and  Pearl  LaGrange  are  to  be  married  at  an 
early  hour  to-morrow,  and  to  take  the  evening  train 
for  the  federal  city.  Pearl's  superstition  is  in  the  as- 
cendancy, even  in  the  presence  of  this  assured  happi- 
ness. I  will  quote  a  sentence  from  her  note  referring 
to  us:  'I  have  explained  to  the  Governor,  and  he 
bids  me  defer  to  you  and  Hugh  before  deciding  where 
the  marriage  ceremony  shall  take  place.  If  we  alone 
are  united,  the  wedding  will  be  here  under  the  bene- 


234  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

diction  of  my  mother's  picture,  I  tremble  in  the 
anticipation  of  your  decision,  believing  a  fatality 
of  some  kind  awaits  one  or  both  of  us  in  the  event  of 
your  broken  vow.'  I  do  not,  nor  would  I  have  you, 
share  this  fear  of  Pearl's  regarding  the  oath,  as  this 
presto  marriage  of  hers  was  not  in  the  bond.  If  love 
were  not  so  blind  a  little  heathen,  Pearl's  conscience 
would  at  once  restore  to  us  the  liberty  of  choice.  I  am 
so  agitated  that  I  cannot  write;  but  our  answer  must 
be  speedy.  I  await  your  reply,  either  in  person  or  by 
the  bearer. 

Devotedly  yours, 

CECILE. 

When  Hugh  looked  up  from  the  reading  of  this 
note,  his  mother  sat  with  bowed  head. 

The  doctor  rose,  took  both  of  the  young  man's 
hands  in  his  and  said: 

"My  son,  I  fear  an  exuberant  imagination  has  run 
away  with  your  judgment.  Your  mother  and  I  have 
anticipated  this.  Tour  happiness  is  as  dear  to  us  as 
your  life,  but  to  permit  you  to  be  hurried  out  of  ro- 
mantic boyhood  into  the  treadmill  of  married  life,  with 
cares,  trials  and  responsibilities  undreamed  of,  would 
be  the  maddest  folly.  Love,  when  surrendered  to  the 
lead  of  its  blind  impulses  only,  is  temporary  insanity." 

"But  my  love  has  been  the  unfolding  of  the  slow 
bud  into  the  flower;  and  to-night  my  manhood's  honor 
stands  plighted  with  my  marriage  vow,"  replied  Hugh, 
deferentially,  but  with  much  feeling. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  235 

"Ridiculous!  Preposterous!  Impossible!  You 
surely  do  not  weigh  the  magnitude  of  such  strong 
speech." 

"Father,  the  hour  is  passing,  and  the  messenger 
waits.  What  is  your  pleasure  that  I  write?  " 

"  Write  what  you  will.  You  know  my  wishes,  and 
I  trust  you.  Continue  to  confide  in  my  judgment 
Marriage  is  entirely  out  of  the  question  as  you  are 
situated." 

"  But  in  the  future,  say  in  a  year's  time  V"  plea- 
ded Hugh. 

"  Say  no  time  hence.  Be  content  to  be  the  friend 
of  Cecile  Veen  for  as  you  love  me,  never  again  thrust 
the  unwelcome  subject  of  your  marriage  upon  us!  " 

"Never,  father?" 

"  Never.     Hugh  Carlisle  can  never  marry." 

"  Mother,"  said  Hugh,  kneeling  at  Mrs.  Carlisle's 
feet,  "  what  does  he  mean?  and  what  have  I  done  to 
offend  you  so?  " 

"Nothing,  best  of  sons,"  said  Mrs.  Carlisle,  stoop- 
ing caressingly  over  Hugh,  and  raising  her  hand  with 
a  deprecatory  gesture  to  the  doctor. 

"I — can — never — marry!"  repeated  Hugh  slowly. 
"Convince  my  reason  then  at  once,  by  telling  why?" 
and  Hugh  rose,  and  confronting  his  father  with  a  ten- 
der beseeching  expression,  said:  "I  do  not  like  to 
think  parental  discipline  exacts  such  sacrifices  from 


236  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

its  own  without  a  deeper  reason  than  that  which  lies 
in  your  command." 

Mrs.  Carlisle  raised  her  hand  entreatingly  to  her 
husband,  but  believing  his  time  had  come  to  speak,  he 
continued: 

"  No  better,  no  more  cogent  reason  could  I  give,  than 
the  one,  that  Hugh  Carlisle,  as  Hugh — 

At  this  juncture  his  wife  uttered  a  deep  groan  and 
fell  unconscious  at  his  feet. 

****** 

Two  hours  later,  after  Cecile's  suspense  had  culmi- 
nated in  the  decision  to  dispatch  a  second  messenger 
to  Doctor  Carlisle's,  she  received  from  the  hands  of 
the  first,  the  following  brief  communication  from 
Hugh,  in  pencil  scrawl: 

MY  DEAR  CECILE: 

Forgive  me  for  having  kept  you  so  long  in  anxi- 
ety. The  vow  at  St.  Agnew  (that  both  couples  would 
be  united  at  the  same  time)  must  be  broken,  but  our 
marriage  vow — never!  Unless  I  prove  unworthy  of 
you.  I  depend  upon  you  to  advise  me  of  the  hour  the 
Governor  and  Pearl  are  to  be  married,  that  I  may 
join  you  in  time  at  the  LaGrange  cottage. 

Fide  et  araore, 

HUGH. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  237 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

"  Heaven  bless  the  lovely  bride!  "  the  morning  said, 
As  from  her  rosy  couch  she  raised  her  head, 
And  throwing  back  the  curtains  of  the  night, 
Shook  out  her  shimmering  locks  of  golden  light, 
Till  from  the  hills  the  clear  and  perfect  day 
Through  purple  depths  of  cloud-land  seemed  to  say: 
"God  bless  the  bride,  and  bless  him  at  her  side, 
And  God's  own  angels  with  them  both  abide." 

The  day  on  which  Governor  Kellogg  and  Pearl  La- 
Grange  were  married  was  exceptionally  fair.  It  was 
as  though  heaven  had  said  audibly,  as  she  shook  out 
her  drapery  of  clouds  and  turned  back  their  silver 
lining  to  the  sun:  "These,  my  children,  have  hon- 
ored me  in  their  choice,  and  are  now  received  into  full 
fellowship." 

The  wedding,  which  was  celebrated  at  the  La- 
Grange  cottage,  was  conducted  quietly,  two  families 
only  being  cognizant  of  the  event  up  to  the  departure 
of  the  wedding  party.  Dr.,  Mrs.  and  Hugh  Carlisle 
and  Cecile  Veen  were  the  honored  guests.  When  the 
announcement  appeared  in  the  evening,  it  fell  like  a 
meteor,  kindling  gossip,  which  illuminated  St.  Saul 
in  certain  quarters  throughout  the  night. 

Communities  which  hold  great  men,  naturally  af- 
fect to  be  somewhere  within  the  circle  of  their  confi- 
dence, but  in  this  instance  the  public  was  blissfully 


238  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

ignorant  of  Governor  Kellogg's  matrimonial  inten- 
tions. 

While  this  was  a  just  rebuke  to  the  tongue-wagging 
fraternity,  it  piqued  the  Governor's  constituents  and 
personal  friends,  and  aroused  the  ire  of  petty  foes, 
who  declared  a  man  thus  elevated  by  the  people  had 
no  right  to  marry  unadvisedly,  and  in  making  a  selec- 
tion from  the  "obscure  class"  he  had  not  only  grossly 
insulted  all  "  upper- tendom,"  but  snubbed  every  elig- 
ible candidate  for  matrimony  who  claimed  social 
equality  with  him. 

Among  the  claimants  for  special  consideration,  was 
the  virgin  household  of  Tonguewort.  Time-worn  and 
love-lorn,  they  yet  dieted  upon  a  thin  variety  of  de- 
ferred hope  which  kept  them  lean. 

To  the  ambitious  Louisa,  the  news  of  Cassius  Kel- 
logg's marriage  was  paralizing.  Of  all  her  unsuccess- 
ful cap-sets,  this  brought  her  the  deepest  humiliation. 

"  This  daring  escapade! "  she  said.  "  This  scandal- 
ous innovation  upon  the  established  laws  of  selection. 
Does  Governor  Kellogg  think,  because  he  is  scholarly, 
distinguished  and  courtly,  and  the  most  popular  man 
in  the  state,  that  he  can  trample  upon  the  customs  of 
good  society,  and  force  into  its  circles  a  girl  he  has 
picked  up  in  the  street,  whose  name  has  been  disgrace- 
fully linked  with  his,  and  who  has  beguiled  him  to 
separation  and  divorce?  "  Seizing  the  innocent  paper 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  239 

containing  the  marriage  notice,  the  infuriated  Tongue- 
wort  tore  it  into  ribbons,  and  flinging  them  from  the 
window,  she  said:  "So  shall  their  reputations  be  rid- 
dled and  flung  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven,  for  I, 
Louisa  Tonguewort,  have  sworn  it!  " 

One  by  one  the  lights  went  out  on  Terrace  Hill  and 
the  bells  rang  for  midnight  It  was  bright  star-light, 
but  the  long  line  of  shade  trees  wrapped  the  empty 
home  of  the  Governor  in  gloom,  portentiously  so,  en- 
hanced as  they  were  by  the  light  streaming  through 
the  upper  balcony  of  the  Tonguewort  ranch  opposite. 

Why  this  brilliant  illumination  in  a  bed-chamber, 
where  Morpheus  was  nightly  courted  and  coaxed  by 
the  combined  efforts  of  a  whole  pharmacy  of  nar- 
cotics? Because,  "  Hell  has  no  fury  like  a  woman 
scorned."  Louisa  Tonguewort  had  sworn  a  terrible 
oath,  one  that  commissioned  demons  were  on  guard 
to  see  that  she  neither  retracted,  or  delayed  to  execute. 

For  some  time  she  sat  in  thought.  At  length  the 
initial  step  was  taken  in  a  crime,  which  for  cold- 
blooded atrocity  and  heartless  cruelty,  could  not  be 
exceeded  this  side  the  abode  of  the  damned. 

In  order  to  insure  the  success  of  her  unholy  plot, 
she  determined  to  secure  the  services  of  her  old  ally 
in  social  iniquity,  the  absconded  Hector. 

During  the  months  of  fruitless  angling,  to  convince 
the  Governor  of  her  charms,  the  image  of  his  departed 


240  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

Jezebel  had  very  naturally  become  effaced  from  her 
mind. 

At  her  morning  toilet,  Louisa  Tonguewort  would  as 
soon  have  thought  to  bring  the  man  in  the  moon  at 
her  feet,  as  to  renew  her  long  abandoned  correspond- 
ence with  Hector  Astore.  A  sudden  reversal  of  the 
wheel  of  destiny  brought  her  face  to  face  with  the 
past,  and  her  old  associate  in  social  iniquity,  and  ren- 
dered vital  an  immediate  resumption  of  the  old  con- 
fidence. 

"By  heavens!  "  she  muttered  through  her  clenched 
teeth,  as  she  combed  back  her  bristling  hair  with  her 
thin,  nervous  fingers,  "  I  could  curse  myself  for  this 
mental,  imbecilic  perturbation.  Do  not  the  ablest  di- 
plomats look  to  the  end  to  be  attained,  regardless  of 
the  means?  It  is  this — or  an  inglorious  flight  before 
these  detested  plebeians  whom  I  have  hated  and  tramp- 
led upon.  No.  She  who  once  pledged  herself  to 
avenge  the  domestic  wrongs  of  Hector  Kellogg,  has 
now  herself  to  be  avenged;  for  not  to  retaliate  is  to 
give  encouragement  to  adventuresses.  The  forgive- 
ness of  wrong  puts  certain  men  and  women  too  much 
at  their  ease.  Hence  vengeance  is  necessary  for  the 
protection  of  society." 

After  this  wild,  incoherent  eruption  of  the  volcanic 
fires,  kindled  generations  back  at  the  altar  of  a  heroic 
(?)  ancestry,  the  enraged  Tonguewort  seized  upon  a 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  241 

ream  of  innocent  looking  commercial  note  paper  as 
though  she  had  the  whole  human  race  by  the  throat, 
and  meant  to  strangle  it. 

The  hours  chased  each  other  and  the  stars  wheeled 
on  in  majesty  through  the  moonlighted  dome  of 
heaven.  What  cared  they,  the  eternities,  for  the  fate 
of  poor  dust-born  creatures?  The  heart  might  leap  in 
joy,  or  break  with  pain.  They  solemnly  followed  their 
immeasureable  paths,  and  the  good  slept  on,  while 
demons  hovered  at  the  elbow  of  this  unscrupulous 
woman,  and  guided  her  caustic  pen. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


Has  ever  Eden  smiled  on  earth 

Where  Satan's  minions  did  not  hide, 
And,  like  the  serpent  on  the  hearth, 

With  evil  machinations  hide? 
A  gauntlet  of  the  finest  kid 

May  wrap  the  vilest  traitor's  hand; 
And  cloven  foot  mayhap  be  hid 

In  boot  by  honest  workman  planned. 

"Tis  said  that  fools  have  madly  rushed 

Where  holy  angels  dared  not  tread, 
And  saints  themselves  in  glory  blushed 

For  words  which  mortal  lips  have  said. 
How,  then  shall  those  whose  feet  have  stood 

On  Zion's  Hill  e'er  be  replaced, 
Since  to  defame  the  pure  and  good, 

Their  Christian  armor  is  disgraced? 


242  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

One  week  had  elapsed  since  the  departure  of  Gov- 
ernor Kellogg  and  his  lovely  bride  for  the  national 
capital. 

Cecile  Veen  had  received  from  Pearl  graphic  des- 
criptions of  the  trip  and  the  splendors  of  Washington 
City. 

The  Veen's  had  just  breakfasted  when  Cecile  recog- 
nized the  Tonguewort's  grand  turnout  dashing  through 
the  grounds  as  though  on  some  life  and  death  errand. 

"  O  misery,  that  horrid  ogre,  Miss  Lou  Tonguewort, 
is  coming,  mother.  Do  let  me  bar  the  doors  against 
her." 

"  You  will  please  mind  your  own  affairs,  Cecile," 
with  a  cold  haughtiness  which  brought  tears  to  Ce- 
cile's  eyes. 

"Mother,"  said  Cecile  pleadingly,  "do  not  speak  of 
the  reception  we  are  to  give  next  week  to  Pearl  and 
the  Governor;  I  pray  you  do  not.  I  feel  you  must 
not.  Trust  to  my  instinct  this  time,  mother." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  madcap?  Do  you  imagine  Col- 
onel and  Mrs.  Veen  can  give  a  grand  reception  to  the 
out-going  and  in-coming  governors  and  their  ladies, 
without  inviting  society's  Queen?  " 

"You  do  not  understand  me,  mother." 

"  I  have  no  time  to  discuss  ethics  with  you,"  said 
Mrs.  Veen.  "  I  have  not  lost  my  head  quite,"  and  the 
proud  woman  swept  out  of  Cecile' s  presence. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.     .  243 

The  ancients  recognized  three  kinds  of  kisses:  The 
"Basiuni,"  which  passed  between  relatives  and  friends; 
the  "Osculum,"  which  was  a  mark  of  respect,  and  the 
"Suavium,"  or  love  kiss,  which  was  the  true  and  bona 
fide  kiss.  But  the  kiss  which  Louisa  Tonguewort  left 
upon  the  lips  of  Mrs.  Teen  was  not  one  of  these;  it 
was  a  cold,  clammy  collision,  and  was  only  equalled 
by  the  heartlessness  of  the  flabby  hand-shake  accom- 
panying it. 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Yeen,"  exclaimed  Louisa,  "are  we 
alone?  And  can  we  go  into  'executive  session,'  as 
they  say  at  the  capital?" 

Mrs.  Veen  closed  the  drawing  room  doors. 

"Are  you  sure  we  are  quite  alone?  Walls  have  ears, 
you  know." 

"At  this  hour,"  returned  Mrs.  Teen,  "we  are  abso- 
lutely abandoned  by  the  world." 

"'Tis  well,  I  have  important  matters  to  confer  with 
you  about.  The  ladies  of  St.  Mark's  are  wrought  up 
as  never  before,  and  to-night  hold  an  indignation 
meeting  in  my  parlors.  I  have  come  to  secure  your 
consent  to  the  resolutions  we  shall  pass.  I  have  a  list 
of  names  here  which  I  wish  to  divide  with  you  as  one 
of  the  executive  officers  of  our  church."  And  Miss 
Tonguewort  removed  the  elastic  band  from  a  scroll, 
which  in  being  released  was  carried  by  its  weight  to 
the  floor  uncoiling  and  coiling  like  a  pet  serpent  be- 
tween them. 


244  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"Formidable,  is  it  not?  It  is  one  of  the  most 
stupendous  social  movements  that  ever  agitated  a  great 
community.  You  have  here  just  half  of  the  names 
listed,  and  there  is  not  a  name  written  out  upon  either 
scroll  which  may  not  be  found  in  our  church  books." 
Mrs.  Veen  started.  "  You  are  surprised,  but  wait  till 
I  initiate  you  into  the  appalling  secrets  of  Governor 
Kellogg- 

"Governor  Kellogg!"  interrupted  Mrs.  Yeen.  "In 
the  name  of  heaven,  you  dare  not  impugn  an  act  or 
motive  of  a  man  the  whole  state  reveres." 

"I  dare.  The  pen  of  destiny  is  placed  in  my  hand, 
and  I  will  put  the  final  period  to  his  brilliant  career. 
In  all  the  gay  city  there  is  no  other  being  so  conver- 
sant with  his  history  as  to  be  able  to  throw  a  deadly 
shaft  into  his  soul's  sanctuary.  I  am,  therefore, 
selected  by  heaven  to  do  this  work." 

"  Did  you  not  at  one  time  indulge  some  very  lively 
hopes  in  this  direction?" 

"Never!  Never!"  hysterically  snapt  the  spinster, 
clanking  her  case-knife  lips.  "  I  spared  the  villian 
the  humiliation  of  a  refusal,  a  genuine  jilt,  which  fre- 
quently throws  men  like  him  off  their  balance.  This 
is  my  reward,  and  poor  exiled  Hector's  reproach;  he 
descends  into  the  slums  and  emerges  with  a  bride, 
whose  genealogy  begins  at  a  pot-house  and  ends  in 
the  ditch." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  245 

"  No,  no.  My  dear  Miss  Lou,  you  do  not  mean 
this.  Pearl  LaGrange  I  know  to  have  been  as  well 
bred  as  any  of  us." 

"  Will  you  second  my  efforts  in  resenting  a  grand 
insult  to  society,  church  and  state?"  And  Miss 
Tongue  wort's  voice  rose  with  her  figure. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Lou,  I  have  never  refused  to  in- 
dorse a  sentiment  or  act  of  yours,  either  in  church  or 
society,  and  never  shall.  I  am  fixed  in  this  purpose; 
here's  my  hand  as  a  pledge." 

A  strange  light  came  into  the  little  eyes.  Mrs.  Veen 
noticed  the  expression,  and  could  not  save  herself  from 
an  involuntary  shudder,  as  Miss  Tonguewort  added: 

"  You  will  be  at  my  house  at  sunset.  We  shall 
have  preliminaries  to  arrange  before  roll  call." 

"  I  will.  But  first  promise  me  to  be  with  us  at  a 
reception  the  Colonel  and  I  intend  giving  Governor 
Kellogg  and  his  bride.  The  cards  will  be  out  to-mor- 
row." 

"Attend  the  meeting  in  my  parlors  to-night,"  coldly 
replied  Miss  Tonguewort,  "  and  if  the  supreme  folly 
of  tendering  a  reception  to  his  disloyalty,  Governor 
Cassius  Kellogg,  is  not  dislodged  from  your  mind, 
proceed  as  you  have  planned,  but  please  count  society 
and  your  humble  servant  out."  And  Miss  Tonguewort 
passed  over  the  threshold. 


246  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  Wait,"  nervously  interposed  Mrs.  Veen,  paling  at 
such  bitter  denunciations. 

"  Mrs.  Veen," — here  the  voice  of  Louisa  Tongue- 
wort  sank  to  a  low  growl, — "  you  are  provokingly  ob- 
tuse to-day.  Governor  Kellogg  has  grossly  betrayed 
the  public,  bringing  upon  himself  just  contumely. 
He  must  suffer  the  consequences.  Society  is  like  fire 
and  water;  one  does  not  want  to  get  on  the  wrong  side 
of  it.  Governor  Kellogg  has  personally  spit  upon  his 
best  friends,  you  and  I  in  particular."  And  Miss 
Tonguewort  gnashed  her  teeth.  "Are  you  prepared 
to  stand  with  the  church  in  repudiating  the  validity  of 
such  a  union,  or  will  you  take  the  off  horn  of  the  di- 
lemma, inaugurate  a  new  departure  and  walk  alone?  " 

Mrs.  Veen  hesitated. 

"  Mrs.  Veen,"  said  the  slander-vendor,  "Governor 
Kellogg  and  his  so-called  bride  will  be  to-night  os- 
tracised from  society  in  St.  Saul.  Since  he  has  slapped 
good  society  in  the  face  by  marrying  his  mistress,  so- 
ciety resents  the  insult  by  putting  nee  Pearl  La- 
Grange  under  the  ban! " 

Here  the  spinal  column  of  the  venomous  Tongue- 
wort  weakened  from  the  effects  of  uttering  a  falsehood 
so  atrocious  and  hell-born,  and  she  would  have  leaned 
against  the  contiguous  pillar  of  the  veranda  for  sup- 
port. Mrs.  Veen  sank  all  of  a  heap  at  her  feet; 
whereupon  the  dismayed  Tonguewort  uttered  sharp 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  247 

hysterical  shrieks,  which  brought  Cecile  to  the  scene. 

"What  have  you  done  to  my  mother,  woman?" 
said  Cecile,  turning  upon  Miss  Tonguewort  as  an 
armed  hunter  might  confront  a  tigress. 

"  Tour  good  mother  has  fainted.  It  is  a  fashion  of 
hers,  is  it  not?  " 

Mrs.  Veen  soon  opened  her  eyes,  but  closed  them 
again,  groaning  in  a  most  piteous  way. 

"As  there  is  nothing  more  I  can  do  for  your  mother," 
said  Miss  Tonguewort,  "  I  will  go." 

Mrs.  Yeen  opened  her  eyes  and  said: 

"  I  will  be  with  you  this  evening." 

"  Yes ;  I  am  sure  you  will,  now  you  realize  the  im- 
portance of  the  movement.  Heaven  crown  us  with 
grace  and  mercy  that  we  may  walk  unsullied  through 
this  tainted,  sinful  world,"  and  giving  a  glance  inten- 
ded to  be  withering,  upon  Cecile,  the  social  monster 
repaired  to  her  carriage. 

When  Apelles  could  not  paint  the  depth  of  sorrow 
that  he  wished  to  represent  in  the  face  of  one  of  his 
figures,  he  enveloped  the  head  in  a  veil. 

Let  us  veil  the  anguish  which  now  wrung  the  hearts 
of  this  unhappy  household;  for,  with  the  visible  shadow 
resting  upon  the  life  of  the  noble  girl,  so  soon  to  face 
a  frowning  community  in  defence  of  truth  and  the 
friend  of  her  childhood,  another  shadow  was  gather- 
ering,  which  would  fall  with  blighting  effect  upon  this 
Palace  of  Pride. 


248  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Some  brows  are  made  to  bear  a  crown  of  thorns, 
And  some  to  wear  a  wreath  of  joy  and  gladness, 

Some  lives  to  brave  the  waves  which  cradle  storms, 
And  some  to  make  a  jest  of  woe  and  sadness. 

Faith,  hope,  ambition,  love  and  inspiration, 

These  crown  the  individual,  make  the  nation. 

In  the  busiest  mart  of  the  city  of  Quebec,  two  hun- 
dred feet  beneath  the  guns  of  the  grand  battery,  tower 
the  great  commercial  establishments,  the  merchants' 
exchange,  the  banking  houses,  wholesale  stores  and 
bonded  warehouses. 

St  Paul's  street  connects  with  St.  Peter's  before 
the  custom  house,  and  stretches  westward  on  the  nar- 
row strand  between  the  cliff  and  bay,  amid  breweries, 
distilleries,  manufactories,  and  gas  works,  till  it  meets 
(near  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Charles)  St.' Joseph  street, 
the  main  artery  of  the  suburb  of  St.  Boch. 

Here,  since  his  restoration  to  liberty,  Alfred  Clif- 
ford had  resided  and  addressed  himself  to  reforma- 
tory work.  He  had  established  an  agency  for  the  hu- 
mane purposes  of  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the 
incarcerated,  and  to  aid  the  liberated  prisoners  with 
money,  etc. 

On  his  office  walls  were  mottoes  expressing  humane 
and  reformatory  sentiments. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  249 

The  object  of  Alfred  Clifford,  was  to  assist  those 
whom  the  law  had  forcibly  restrained,  and  to  ferret 
out  the  mystery  connected  with  his  own  loss  of  lib- 
erty, now  nearly  one  quarter  of  a  century  old. 

"  If  the  messenger  returns  to  me  void,' '  said  Clif- 
ford musingly,  as  he  read  a  dispatch  from  Stratford, 
stating  that  Vallette  would  arrive  on  the  evening 
train,  "if  he  returns  empty,  shall  I  have  courage  to 
continue  this  search  further  ? ' ' 

This  train  of  reasoning  was  broken  by  the  arrival 
of  Vallette  in  advance  of  the  hour  announced.  Bound- 
ing into  the  office  he  said: 

"  Cheer  up,  old  boy !  I  have  brought  the  meat  in  the 
shell  this  time,  and  the  domestic  and  obstetric  secrets 
of  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital  for  twenty-five  years  back. 
I  tell  you  there  is  just  one  chance  that  a  certain  wo- 
man, who  registered  herself  as  a  widow  before  her  ac- 
couchement, is  the  very  party  you  are  in  search  of;  and 
if  so  you  are  not  only  a  husband  but  a  father.  The 
dates  agree  with  yours,  and  the  description  of  the  lady 
tallies  with  that  given  me  by  the  matron.  I  felt  so 
sure  I  had  found  your  wife  and  child,  that  I  could  not 
master  emotions,  but  jumped  out  of  my  chair,  clap- 
ping my  hands  and  exclaiming:  'It  is  the  same  one 
and  her  name  is  Helena  Clifford!  '  '  Not  so  fast',  said 
the  old  crone,  'her  name  is  registered  in  her  own  hand- 
writing as  Hector  Astore.' " 


250  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"Good  God!  "  interrupted  Clifford,  "a  more  thaii 
Soloman's  riddle  is  solved.  Helena  Clifford  and  Hec- 
tor Astore  are  one.  In  a  tiff  with  one  of  the  sweetest 
girls  in  New  York,  I  married  the  young  widow  of 
Adrian  Astore,  and  Hector  was  a  name  I  coined  my- 
self and  gave  her,  as  descriptive  of  her  waspish  pro- 
clivities. I  postponed  getting  a  divorce  on  account  of 
her  delicate  condition  and  the  natural  appeal  to  one's 
sympathies  of  the  innocent  unborn.  So  much  did  I 
fear  ante-natal  impressions,  I  exerted  myself  to  humor 
her  caprices,  making  myself  a  very  slave  to  her  mad 
jealousies,  and  neglecting  business  to  coddle  her 
whims,  thus  guarding  the  fruit  from  blight  up  to 
hour  of  its  maturity.  I  yearn  to  know  the  career  of 
this  woman  and  the  fate  of  our  child?  For  the  one  I 
have  only  pity;  for  the  other,  a  part  of  my  being, 
yearnings  unspeakably  tender.  For  I  believe  in  hea- 
ven's sweet  law  of  compensations,  and  in  this  child  I 
may  yet  find  the  just  reward  for  unjust  suffering." 

Vallette  was  a  Canadian,  and  a  born  gentleman  at 
heart,  and  so  touched  with  the  pure  spirit  of  the  myr- 
tered  man  before  him,  his  rough  hand  secretely 
brushed  away  the  gathering  tears  of  sympathy  as  he 
replied: 

"  This  is  a  copy  I  made  from  the  old  matron's  reg- 
ister, at  the  lying-in  hospital." 

Vallette  read  slowly  his  copy  of  the  entries: 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  251 

"St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital, 

Stratford,  Ontario,  Canada, 

June ,  18—. 

Mrs.  Hector  Astore,  widow  of  Adrian  Astore,  just 
deceased,  took  refuge  in  her  grief  and  unfortunate 
condition  this  evening,  for  a  quiet  accouchement; 
dressed  like  a  Sister  of  Charity,  wearing  across  her 
forehead,  a  broad  white  band. 

June  20.  Mrs.  Astore  gave  birth  to  a  deformed 
child;  shocked  the  nurse  in  attendance  by  thrusting  a 
pouch  of  gold  into  her  hands  and  beseeching  her  to 
despatch  the  child  at  once  for  its  own  sake  and  hers, 
and  shut  her  lips  upon  the  secret  by  accepting  the 
gold.  Next  day  nurse  reported  to  her  patient  the 
errand  and  the  woman  rallied  rapidly.  Later  on,  it 
transpired  the  nurse  wrapped  the  bit  of  humanity  in 
its  rich  swaddling  cloths,  and  placing  the  pouch  of 
gold  in  the  package,  laid  the  same  on  the  doorstep  of 
one  of  the  hospital  surgeons  whose  wife  had  just  been 
confined,  with  the  loss  of  her  babe.  The  little  stranger 
was  made  welcome  and  thus  saved  from  a  violent 
death.  The  woman  was  afterwards  regarded  with  sus- 
picion, but  left  as  soon  as  recovered  for  New  York. 

The  name  of  the  physician  in  charge  of  the  Hospi- 
tal at  that  time  was  Doctor  Sorronto;  think  he  lives 
in  the  suburb  of  St.  Roch,  near  the  city  of  Quebec. 
Through  him  it  may  be  possible  to  obtain  the  name 
of  the  surgeon  who  adopted  the  child." 

"  St.  Eoch,"  echoed  Clifford.  "  I  will  find  him  be- 
fore my  head  rests.  It  is  God's  good  providence  that 


252  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

places  him  so  near.  Do  not  look  for  me  till  I  come, 
as  I  may  return  by  Stratford.  The  ball  is  easily  un- 
wound when  one  holds  on  to  the  end  of  the  thread. 
Remember  your  reward  is  near." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Fate?    Destiny?    Or  Birth-star? 

Jehovah's  plan?    Or  Adam's  sharne? 
It  is  all  one,  till  death  unbar 

The  evil  door  through  which  it  came. 

In  Raphael's  arabesques,  genii  spring  out  of  the 
flowers.  So  the  souls  of  some  beings  seem  to  float 
over  their  exteriors.  Hugh  Carlisle  belonged  to  this 
order  of  souls.  Such  natures  are  rarely  understood. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  apply  force  to  them.  Their  eyes 
penetrate  mysteries;  their  thoughts  grasp  life  prob- 
lems. Trust  them;  there  is  enough  of  God  in  them 
to  preserve  them  from  the  ways  of  death.  The  soft 
belt  of  heaven's  atmosphere  is  a  sufficient  moral  res- 
traint for  them. 

The  moment  Doctor  Carlisle  revealed  to  his  son  the 
secret  which  had  been  locked  in  his  own  and  his  wife's 
breast  for  over  twenty  years,  that  moment  Hugh  Car- 
lisle was  transformed  into  another  being.  Had  their 
idolized  son  been  less  dutiful,  it  would  have  been  dan- 
gerous. A  statement  of  the  truth  of  their  position 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  253 

and  his  was  unavoidable,  and  though  it  shook  the 
stronghold  of  his  manhood,  his  soul  wrestled  with  it 
as  the  giant  oak  wrestles  with  the  tempest. 

It  was  unwise  to  separate  the  affianced  young  peo- 
ple. Not  until  the  reception  of  Cecile's  last  letter 
had  Hugh  Carlisle  dreamed  of  the  slumbering  forces 
within  him.  He  would  act  instantly;  not  at  the  com- 
mand of,  but  in  consonance  with  his  beloved  father. 

Having  completed  arrangements  for  his  departure, 
Hugh  wrote  a  letter  to  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Carlisle, 
which  is  given  in  advance  of  posting. 

Cambridge  University. 
MY  DEAR  FATHER  AND  MOTHER: 

When  this  reaches  you  your  son  will  be 
speeding  towards  the  Golden  Gate.  Filial  love  and 
gratitude  inspire  individual  efforts  in  his  own  behalf. 
You  shall  be  daily  advised  as  to  his  movements,  and 
their  results.  That  his  course  may  not  be  deemed  ec- 
centric or  eratic,  he  submits  the  following  statements 
and  asks  for  the  continuance  of  your  love.  Colonel 
Veen's  death  is  imminent.  The  financial  ruin  of  his 
family  will  speedily  follow.  Mrs.  Veen  is  bound  ove  r 
soul  and  body  to  the  world  and  its  vanities;  and  Ce- 
cile,  now  that  she  has  no  longer  the  strong  arm  of 
Stanley  to  lean  upon,  is  helpless.  Inaction  on  my 
part  would  be  unpardonable.  The  wicked  persecution 
of  Pearl  LaGrange  continues.  The  most  infamous 
reports  are  in  circulation ;  falsehoods  so  monstrous  it 
seems  as  though  the  avenging  hand  of  the  Almighty 


254  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

must  interfere.  Can  it  be  possible,  as  is  averred,  that 
the  first  Mrs.  Kellogg  is  the  prime  instigator  in  this 
accursed  plot  for  placing  Pearl  under  the  ban?  You 
say:  "What  can  be  done  now  that  this  lie  has  passed 
the  lips  of  the  slanderer,  and  the  causes  set  in  opera- 
tion which  must  go  on  until  their  force  is  spent?" 
I  say:  stamp  out  this  lie,  no  matter  who  gets  bruised. 
If  mankind  find  that  you  have  a  heart,  they  will  thrust 
a  spear  into  your  side,  and  bathe  the  wound  with  vin- 
egar. Can  anyone  professing  Christ  persecute  a  being 
like  Pearl,  and  then  look  Christ  in  the  face?  If  I 
have  not  loved  the  world,  it  is  for  such  unchristly 
things.  By  all  that  you  deem  sacred,  your  love  for 
me,  and  your  faith  in  a  destiny  commensurate  with 
that  love,  by  the  hope  of  our  future  reunion,  by  every- 
thing we  share  together,  I  adjure  you  to  defend  the 
name  and  character  of  Pearl  LaGrange.  I  embrace 
you,  sweet  mother,  and  should  we  never  meet  again, 
I  shall  honor  and  cherish  you  both  forever.  Farewell. 
Faithfully, 

Your  son, 

Hugh  Carlisle. 

The  moon  was  setting.  The  winds  seemed  breath- 
ing regretful  adieus,  as  though  the  pains  of  parting 
grew  deep,  and  then  the  sorrowful  strain  wandered 
away  into  the  distance  and  sank  into  silence. 

Ah,  this  was  no  mere  leave-taking.  It  was  the  sob- 
bing farewell  to  a  vanished  Paradise — the  lost  Eden 
of  enchanted  boyhood,  which  had  ended  as  his  work 
in  the  world  began. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  255 

CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

If  from  their  altitudes  God's  angels  come 
To  see  how  heaven  and  earth  together  move, 

It  is  with  benedictions  to  the  home 
Of  bliss  domestic,  born  of  weaded  love. 

"  She  has  saved  the  life  of  my  child,  and  may  God 
and  his  angels  desert  me  if  I  do  not  warn  her  to-night 
of  this  new  scheme  for  her  ruin! "  and  the  eyes  of  the 
noble  looking  lady  flashed  as  she  gathered  her  dark 
mantle  around  her.  She  has  passed  out  of  her  home, 
and  is  treading  the  streets  of  St.  Saul. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  True  had  recently  been  added  to  the 
circles  of  St.  Saul ;  but  no  sooner  had  their  household 
goods  been  set  in  order,  and  the  discovery  made  by 
society  that  the  ex-Governor  and  his  fair  lady  had 
captivated  them  and  the  young  people  of  their  family 
with  princely  hospitalities,  and  those  generous  courte- 
sies which  make  their  way  directly  to  the  heart  of  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  land,  than  they  were  set  upon 
by  all  the  barking  dogs  of  that  purgatory  of  human 
Curdom. 

Entirely  new,  strange  and  startling  to  Mrs.  True, 
were  the  words  that  saluted  her  unwilling  ears,  she 
who  was  born  and  bred  in  good  society,  and  where 
the  privileges  of  association  were  governed  by  the  nat- 
ural laws  of  selection,  had  no  more  comprehension  of 


256  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

being  "  put  out  of  society,"  than  she  had  of  dropping 
bodily  out  of  the  world. 

First,  came  an  insulting  note  from  Mrs.  Gangrene, 
who  felt  it  incumbent  upon  her  starched  ladyship,  as 
one  of  the  self-appointed  guardians  of  society,  to  warn 
Mrs.  True,  she  "being  a  stranger  in  St.  Saul,  etc., 
etc.,"  of  the  penalty  for  associating  with  Mrs.  ex-Gov- 
ernor Kellogg,  who  was  'under  the  ban.' " 

At  first,  the  spirit  of  the  lady  rebelled  against  such 
social  tyranny;  but  finding  resistance  only  cost  the 
mortification  of  being  openly  cut  upon  the  street,  and 
suspiciously  regarded  by  her  neighbors,  the  disheart- 
ened Mrs.  True  surrendered  outwardly  to  the  dictum 
of  the  scandal  mongers — not,  however,  till  the  alarm 
was  sounded  in  her  ears  by  the  traitorous  lips  of  the 
ex-Governor's  law  student  who,  proving  himself  no 
better  than  the  fabled  serpent,  warmed  upon  the 
hearth-stone  of  his  benefactor,  stung  them  both  by 
pronouncing  the  step  a  "  necessity  for  the  young  la- 
dies' sake." 

And  now  let  the  reader  take  a  peep  with  us  into  this 
ostracised  home  and  family  circle,  and  see  this  pure 
and  lovely  being,  who  is  pronounced,  with  the  empha- 
sis of  a  fish-woman's  scream,  "under  the  ban." 

If  this  cold  word-picture  does  not  touch  your  heart 
with  a  divine  pensiveness;  if  the  howling  mob  who 
cried  "Crucify  Him,  Crucify  Him!"  does  not  haunt 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  257 

your  pillow  afterwards,  the  life  of  Pearl  LaGrange 
had  better  never  have  seen  the  light. 

It  is  six  years  since  the  demon  has  been  supplanted 
by  the  angel  in  the  home  at  Terrace  Hill.  Ex-Gov- 
ernor Kellogg  now  lived  the  quiet,  unassuming  life  of 
a  private  gentleman,  exalted  however  for  his  attain- 
ments, and  in  the  zenith  of  his  professional  career  as 
a  lawyer  and  statesman;  his  scholarship  comprehend- 
ing an  extraordinary  knowledge  of  the  works  of  Shake- 
speare, his  popularity  none  the  less,  for  all  the  mud 
flung  at  them  both  by  a  woman's  hand. 

AVhen  Cassius  Kellogg  married  Pearl  LaGrange, 
a  home  of  love  and  happiness  with  its  wealth  of  quiet 
comfort,  which  had  so  long  been  the  dream  of  his 
soul,  was  realized.  Their  marriage  was  the  outward 
symbol  only  of  their  perfectly  united  souls.  True 
love  and  devotion  was  the  fountain  upon  which  it  fed, 
and  which  had  for  the  first  time  been  unsealed  in 
their  hearts. 

Pearl  set  her  creative  brain  and  busy  fingers  to  the 
work  of  making  a  paradise  out  of  a  ruin.  A  fortune 
had  been  squandered  on  fashion.  It  was  Pearl's  am- 
bition to  aid  her  husband  in  building  another  by  those 
wonderful  reserves  of  power  which  seize  upon  every 
fresh  circumstance,  as  the  bee  the  flower,  the  sculptor 
the  rude  stone  in  which  he  sees  the  ideal  image ;  gath- 
ering out  of  apparent  nothingness  productive  material 


258  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

upon  which  to  employ  the  hours.  Her  reward  was  to 
see  the  eyes  of  the  Governor  light  up  with  a  peculiar 
eloquence,  and  to  hear  him  declare  the  every-day 
surprises  in  the  new  home  to  be  "  like  the  reading  of  a 
new  page  in  the  Arabian  Nights." 

"  Wait  till  the  upholsterer  sends  his  bill  around  to 
your  office,"  Pearl  would  playfully  respond;  but  the 
bill  never  put  in  an  appearance. 

The  Governor's  was  a  great  soul;  and  a  strong 
minded  man  does  not  fear  to  look  up  to  her  whom  he 
loves.  Weak  and  vain  men  desire  to  keep  wives  on 
their  own  level,  fearing  to  be  surpassed.  Woman's 
task  is  difficult.  There  is  danger  in  the  enervating 
influence  of  constant  intercourse  which  breathes  over 
him,  as  the  moist  air  over  the  harp,  inducing  the 
strings  to  relax.  But  in  this,  as  in  every  other  task 
set  before  her,  Pearl  excelled  other  women. 

The  summer  night  was  oppressively  close,  and  all 
of  the  windows  and  balconies  at  Terrace  Hill  were 
thrown  open.  Ponto,  a  noble  Newfoundland,  lay 
struggling  with  heat  upon  the  porch,  looking  for  all 
the  world  more  like  an  animated  ebony  rug,  than  the 
great,  honest-hearted  sagacious  brute  that  he  was. 
The  faithful  creature  had  taken  his  position  where  he 
could  hear  the  soft  notes  of  his  mistress'  voice  in  con- 
yersation  with  his  master. 

In  the  parlor  the  Governor  and  Pearl  sat,  he  in  the 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  259 

arm  chair,  she  on  an  ottoman  at  his  feet,  the  guitar 
between  them. 

"  My  love,"  said  the  Governor,  "  to-morrow  is  the 
day  set  for  my  argument  in  the  Koon  case,  and  last 
night  I  dreamed  of  fishing.  I  was  hauling  in  the 
shining  denizens  in  numbers,  which  with  me,  you 
know,  is  an  infallible  omen  of  good  fortune." 

"Good!"  exclaimed  Pearl.  "  I  see  my  darling  is  a 
trifle  superstitious,  too.  Now  take  back  what  you  said 
when  I  made  a  raid  upon  the  peacock  feathers,  bunches 
of  which  stared  ominously  at  me  from  every  dark  cor- 
ner of  this  castle,  when  I  came  first  to  Terrace  Hill. 
Won't  you  dear?  "  and  Pearl  spreading  out  the  palms 
of  her  husband's  hands,  laid  her  face  lovingly  before 
his  gaze,  where  the  light  of  the  moon  set  it  in  a 
halo,  like  the  head  of  a  saint. 

"My  soul's  delight,"  said  Governor  Kellogg,  "I'll 
take  back  anything  you  please— anything,  love,  but 
the  oath  against  this  bestial  thing,  society.  We'll 
give  them  one  more  lance  to  prick  their  enmity  on. 
You  shall  be  rich,  love ! " 

"  No,  dear,"  said  Pearl.  "Let  us  never  be  rich, 
except  as  now,  in  our  love  for  each  other.  If  your 
genius  be  rewarded  with  wealth,  keep  the  fact  from 
me,  unless  you  take  me  on  its  wings  out  of  St.  Saul 
forever." 

"  Never.     All  other  wishes  are  my  law,  but  this. 


260  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

And  though  Seraphim  thundered  the  request,  and  the 
firmament  quaked,  my  resolution  would  not  break. 
Why?  Because  of  my  soul's  love  for  you.  Would 
you  stamp  falsehood  with  the  seal  of  truth,  and  turn 
this  lie  loose  in  pursuit  of  us,  while  we,  like  game,  ran 
on  before  their  pack  of  yelping  hounds?  No  com- 
promise with  liars,  till  heaven's  emissaries  armed 
with  truth  overtake  them,  and  they  are  made  to  bite 
the  dust." 

Pearl  never  appreciated  the  nobleness  of  her  hus- 
band, or  revered  his  genius  more  than  at  this  moment. 
The  air  was  odorous  with  lilies,  and  to-night  a  bunch 
"of  tube  roses  had  been  added  to  Pearl's  hair.  These 
had  been  tied  to  Ponto's  neck  with  a  note  from  Mrs. 
True.  During  that  lady's  absence,  her  little  child 
had  hung  out  of  an  upper  story  window,  and  was 
about  to  lose  its  balance  and  be  dashed  upon  the 
stone  pavement  below.  At  that  critical  moment  Mrs. 
Kellogg's  carriage  came  along.  Pearl  seeing  the  child's 
danger  alighted,  flew  up  the  staircase,  seized  the  lit- 
tle one  and  bore  it  in  safety  to  the  nurse,  kissed  it  and 
vanished.  It  was  but  an  isolated  instance  among 
a  multitude  of  merciful  acts  this  unselfish  woman 
was  ever  conferring  upon  human  beings,  and  dumb 
brutes. 

Mrs.  True  is  entitled  to  the  reader's  sympathy  for 
the  position  forced  upon  her.  Her  nature  was  impul- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  261 

'  sive,  and  her  errors  were  those  of  the  head ,  rather 
than  of  the  heart.  Clearly  a  victim  of  circumstances, 
surrounded  as  by  a  band  of  highwaymen  demanding 
"unconditional  surrender,"  she  yielded,  and  reflected 
afterwards  upon  her  conduct.  One  course  remained, 
to  repent  and  despise  herself.  Mrs.  True  availed  her- 
self of  this  privilege  most  heartily,  though  she  neither 
lent  ears  nor  voice  to  the  babbling  tongues  around 
her.  Better  would  it  have  been  for  her  if  she  had 
obeyed  the  voice  of  her  heart.  But  greater  souls  than 
hers  have  made  mistakes.  Her  position  was  now  de- 
plorable. She  was  misunderstood  and  slandered  by 
society  people  who  angled  for  the  ex-Governor's  smiles, 
while  playing  the  traitor  and  traducer  to  his  wife. 

Among  these  whited  sepulchres  was  the  new  Gov- 
ernor and  his  lady,  who  privately  dined  at  the  ex- 
Governor's,  and  afterwards  boasted  of  having  taken 
"a  close  carriage — with  curtains  drawn — in  going  to 
and  from  the  Kellogg  mansion." 


The  tall  lady  in  the  mantle  was  no  other  than  Mrs. 
True,  who,  approaching  the  front  entrance  to  the  Kel- 
logg mansion,  opened  the  gate,  and  tying  her  handker- 
chief around  Ponto's  neck,  stood  awaiting  the  result 
of  her  stratagem.  Strands  of  her  daughter's  long 
braids  had  been  eloquent  messages  of  love  before,  and 


262  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

the  dog  trotted  majestically  into  the  house  and  up  to 
his  mistress. 

Supposing  some  one  of  the  True  family  was  hover- 
ing about  the  premises,  Mrs.  Kellogg  framed  an  ex- 
cuse, and  followed  Ponto  to  her  friend. 

"For  the  love  of  heaven,"  said  Mrs.  True,  "what 
does  Governor  Kellogg  mean  by  allowing  your  por- 
trait to  hang  over  the  bar  of  a  tippling  saloon?  " 

"  My  portrait?  "  said  Mrs.  Kellogg.  "I  never  had 
one  painted  in  my  life.  Who  has  seen  it?" 

"  Everybody.  That  is,  every  gentleman  in  St.  Saul, 
and  a  number  of  ladies  have  been  taken  by  their  hus- 
bands to  look  at  it.  It  is  beautifully  executed.  None 
but  on  artist  could  have  worked  up  the  details;  and 
all  pronounce  the  likeness  accurate.  The  shoulders 
are  bare  and  just  a  hint  of  the  fine  bust  below  softly 
swells  the  airy  folds  of  drapery,  and  then  it  fades  away 
in  clouds.  Surely,  surely  Governor  Kellogg  has  heard 
of  it?" 

"  Surely  Governor  Kellogg  has  not  heard  of  it. 
The  town  would  not  contain  the  volume  of  his  wrath, 
if  he  had,"  said  Mrs.  Kellogg. 

"The  Governor  is  at  home,  I  presume9"  inquired 
Mrs.  True. 

"The  Governor  is  always  at  home,  after  office 
hours,"  laconically  responded  Mrs.  Kellogg. 

"He  hates  me!"  said  Mrs.  True.     "It  is  my  just 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  283 

deserts.  But  some  day,  Mrs.  Kellogg,  lie  shall  know 
my  course  of  action  was  not  false  in  any  sense.  I  am 
no  Judas,  and  Peter  was  forgiven,  you  know;  and  I 
shall  be — perhaps  not  now,  nor  here — but  it  will  come 
as  surely  as  God's  angels  answer  prayer.  I'll  wring 
forgiveness  from  his  heart,  though  it  may  be  a  flower 
dropped  from  his  hand  upon  my  grave.  But  heed 
me;  my  errand  is  not  selfish.  I  came  expressly  for 
your  sake.  The  Governor  surely  errs  in  dealing  with 
these  people  in  such  a  lofty  way.  Were  they  his 
equals  socially,  silent  contempt  would  long  ago  have 
shut  their  mouths  and  proved  you  as  you  are,  both 
white  and  innocent;  but  meaner  souls  are  flattered  by 
it  and  claim  to  have  shut  the  door  of  social  intercourse 
against  you,  which  your  own  proud  hands  have  closed. 
Now  he  must  raise  his  heel  and  crush  this  serpent's 
head.  The  picture!  yours!  Think  where  it  hangs  to- 
night, a  full  blaze  burning  in  its  face,  for  every  rounder 
to  sling  his  smut  at" 

"  Yes,  I  see,"  said  Mrs.  Kellogg.  "  The  locality  of 
the  picture  is  what  has  suggested  this  stupendous  fab- 
rication. Here  it  is  in  epitome:  a  woman's  picture; 
a  saloon.  That's  quite  a  fruitful  subject  with  the  at- 
tachment of  my  name,  since  their  favorite  appellation 
for  me  is  '  the  drunkard's  daughter,'  you  know,"  and 
Mrs.  Kellogg  gave  an  amiable  little  laugh. 

"  I  will  give  the  Governor  the  facts,  and  he  can  re- 


264  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

move  the  fiction,  if  he  chooses,"  said  Mrs.  Kellogg 
rather  cavalierly. 

"  Then,  please  tell  him  instantly,"  said  Mrs.  True. 
"  Here  is  the  address  of  the  saloon  keeper,  where  the 
portrait  hangs  this  moment  in  a  blaze  of  light  over 
the  name  of  Pearl  LaGrange.  I  go." 

Both  ladies  moved  quickly  in  opposite  directions, 
and  both  were  intensely  thoughtful.  One,  glad  in  her 
heart  that  her  errand  had  been  executed  well;  the 
other  with  a  sense  of  injured  innocence. 


CHAPTEK  XXVIII. 


The  foulest  murder  is  the  coward's  crime, 
Who  slays  a  fellow  being  with  his  tongue. 

"Life  for  a  life!"  cries  Justice  ruling  time; 
So  villians  live  and  only  men  are  hung. 


";If  thou  dost  slander  her,  never  pray  more; 

On  horrors  head,  horrors  accumulate ; 

Do  deeds  to  make  heaven  weep,  all  earth  amazed, 

For  nothing  can'st  thou  to  damnation  add,  greater  than  this." 

A  pistol  shot  followed  this  quotation,  and  a  tall 
man  fell  to  the  floor  of  the  saloon. 

A  vociferous  company  shouted  "  Murder! "  "  Shoot 
him  down! "  Who  is  the  braggart?  "  "  Call  the  po- 
lice!" and  other  exclamations,  in  keeping  with  the 
locality." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  265 

The  next  moment  a  gentleman  of  commanding 
appearance  stepped  forward,  waved  the  roughs  back, 
and  said: 

"  If  a  mad  dog  passes  along  your  streets,  snapping 
at  all  who  come  in  his  path,  the  man  who  shoots  him 
down  is  a  public  benefactor,  he  has  saved  precious 
lives.  But  when  a  human  cur  circulates  your  thorough- 
fares, his  lips  saturated  with  the  poison  of  slander, 
his  tongue  a  two-edged  sword,  wounding  the  helpless 
beings  in  his  path,  slaying  character  recklessly,  you 
toast  and  cheer  him,  and  the  man  who  strikes  him 
down  you  call  a  murderer!  " 

Here  some  one  in  the  crowd  called  out,  "  Give  us  a 
rest,  and  give  the  preacher  a  drink." 

The  stranger  turning  to  the  saloon  keeper  said: 

"  You  will  oblige  me  by  taking  down  the  lady's  por- 
trait at  once.  I  have  defended  her  name,  and  I  de- 
mand possession  of  this  picture." 

"  Ha !     So  the  lady  has  a  defender  ?  " 

"  Be  careful  sir !  I've  one  arm  left,  and  it  will  not 
be  spared  in  the  defence  of  purity!" 

The  saloon  keeper  cowered  before  the  determined 
gaze  fixed  upon  him,  and  said: 

"  Don't  be  touchy;  I  meant  no  harm.  What  aston- 
ished me  was  to  see  young  Evans,  the  crack  shot  tum- 
ble at  the  ruffle  of  a  feather  or  two.  Why  see  here, 
boss,"  and  the  liquor- vender's  voice  quivered,  "you've 


266  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

got  sand.  How  much  will  you  ask  to  knock  out  that 
dude  again?  I  see  he's  come  to." 

"I  am  not  a  bully  sir,  and  that  was  a  most  cowardly 
assault  he  made  upon  me.  However  the  wound  car- 
ries no  shame  with  it,"  and  the  stranger,  lifting  his 
arm  slowly  and  with  pain,  revealed  to  the  amazement 
of  all,  a  sleeve  full  of  blood. 

"  Well  I'll  be  d d! "  said  the  saloon  man,  "  if  he 

didn't  try  the  carving  act  on  you.  How  much  of  that 
Indian  war  paint  can  you  spare?  You  don't  look  very 
blushing  around  the  gills." 

"See  here,"  broke  in  the  stranger,  "just  knot  this 
handkerchief  where  I  have  wound  it;  tight,  please; 
and  give  me  the  picture.  After  I've  seen  a  surgeon  I 
will  settle  with  you." 

"  I  can't  do  it,  boss.  The  artist  who  painted  that 
picture  is  in  need  of  her  money,  and  unless  you  are 
flush,  you  cannot  get  the  picture.  Besides  a  case  of 
jewels  goes  with  the  little  lady."  And  the  gin  mill 
keeper  held  up  a  plush  casket,  the  uniqueness  of 
which  struck  the  gentleman  as  familiar,  yet  he  could 
not  recall  the  circumstances  which  left  the  impression 
upon  his  memory. 

"  How  did  you  get  those  jewels?  "  said  he.  "  They 
are  identical.  Great  God!  How  many  more  sins  has 
she  to  answer  f or  ?  " 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  267 

"She  has  sinned  then,  has  she?  Ha!  ha!  I 
thought  so.  Here  boss,  take  a  drink  with  me. " 

"  I've  no  time  to  chaffer  with  you.  Surrender  the 
picture;  I  will  settle  with  you  to-morrow.  Here  is 
my  name  and  address."  The  gentleman  looked  faint. 

"Wait  a  bit."  said  the  rum  seller.  "  Here  comes 
Governor  Kellogg.  I'll  have  a  high  bid  now,  as  sure 
as  black  cats  bring  money." 

The  stranger  dropped  into  a  wooden  settle,  lean- 
ing his  head  against  the  bar,  saying:  "Thank  God!" 
and  closed  his  eyes. 

At  this  juncture  there  was  a  general  stampede  for 
the  door,  and  the  saloon  was  emptied  of  its  surplus 
human  filth. 

Governor  Kellogg,  apparently  oblivious  to  his  sur» 
roundings,  walked  rapidly  towards  the  picture,  upon 
which  his  eyes  were  fastened  with  an  expression  of 
intense  eagerness. 

"A  fine  evening,  Governor,"  said  the  saloon  keeper, 
with  purring  suavity. 

"  I  believe  you  have  on  exhibition  here  a  portrait 
painted  by  my  sister,  which  was  carried  off  with  the 
entire  lining  of  my  house,  years  ago.  Let  me  assist 
you  in  taking  it  down." 

"  No,  I'm  obliged  to  you.  You  shall  see  how  my 
lady  tumbles  to  the  racket  when  a  gentleman  comes 
along  who  has  the  stamps  to  order  her  down." 


268  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"  Yes,"  said  Governor  Kellogg,  after  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  painting,  "  here  are  my  sister's  ini- 
tials." 

"  I  see,"  and  as  the  painter  is  a  poor  relation  of 
yours,  you  wont  mind  taking  brilliants  and  all,  will 
you?"  and  the  box  of  jewels  was  flung  upon  the 
counter. 

"How  came  this  casket  in  your  possession?  " 

"Why,  from  the  painter  herself — your  sister!  " 

"  Hell's  sister!  And  this  is  the  Devil's  conscience- 
fund!"  said  the  Governor;  and  he  placed  his  hand 
to  his  forehead.  "  Wrap  them  up  with  the  portrait." 

"  Not  so  fast,  young  fella.  I  have  promised  the 
painter  that  this  lady  and  her  jewels  shall  not  go  till 
the  '  dust '  is  laid  down." 

"  I  prefer  peace  to  war,  but  having  come  here  to 
reclaim  stolen  property,  this  portrait  will  go  out  with 
me,  if  I  have  to  walk  over  dead  bodies."  Here  a  deep 
groan  startled  both. 

"  I  forgot  that  young  man.  I  guess  he's  croaked." 
He  raised  the  head  of  the  wounded  man,  just  as  the 
Governor  looked  around. 

"  Stanley  Yeen!  Murdered!  "  said  the  Governor,  as 
he  collared  the  saloon  keeper,  "who  has  done  this 
deed?  " 

*  5 

"Now  don't  get  excited.  His  pulse  is  beating;  he 
has  only  fainted  from  loss  of  blood,"  and  the  saloonist 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  269 

recounted  the  altercation  had  over  the  portrait 
which  resulted  in  the  shot  and  secret  stab,  while  he 
enlarged  upon  the  plucky  spirit  displayed  by  the 
wounded  man. 

There  was  an  awful  earnestness  in  the  face  of  the 
Governor  during  the  preparations  for  moving  Stanley 
to  his  home,  which  awed  the  brute  nature  he  was 
dealing  with  into  a  dogged  silence.  When  he  saw  the 
portrait  and  jewels  moving  out,  he  did  venture  to  ex- 
postulate. 

"  Send  your  confederate  in  this  villainous  business 
to  me.  I'll  settle  the  bill,"  and  the  horses  were  lashed 
into  impetuous  speed  towards  Terrace  Hill. 

An  hour  later,  and  Stanley  Veen's  head  was  resting 
under  the  hospitable  roof  of  his  dearest  earthly  friends. 
As  the  morning  light  was  breaking,  Pearl  approached 
and  gazed  on  the  fine  face,  which  still  bore  traces  of 
the  storm  that  had  swept  over  it  the  night  before. 

"  For  me,"  she  said,  tenderly  kissing  the  pale  hands. 

"  For  us,  love,"  said  the  Governor.  "  It  will  be  re- 
markable if  he  recovers." 

There  was  a  long  pause.     Then  said  Pearl: 

"  If  Stanley  should  go  away  so  early,  what  a  tragic 
solemnity  his  history  would  wear.  So  good,  so  loved, 
and  yet  unappreciated.  Departing  without  the  laurel- 
crown  which  he  has  won." 

"  Remember,  we  do  not  see  behind  the  scenes  in 


270  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

these  life-tragedies.  Perhaps,  when  the  play  is  done, 
we  shall!  "  answered  the  Governor. 

The  physician  entered. 

"  The  Governor  has  telegraphed  for  Cecile.  Can 
we  keep  Stanley  alive  till  she  comes?"  asked  Pearl. 

"  God's  ways  are  wonderful,"  replied  the  surgeon, 
"and  we  will  try." 

CHAPTEK  XXVIII. 

Truth,  peerless  daughter  of  the  skies, 
When  struck  to  earth  again  shall  rise ; 
And  falsehood,  though  all  meanly  born — 
The  whelp  of  sin,  crime,  hate  and  scorn — 
Hath  a  tenaciousness  to  live, 
To  war  with  heaven,  and  seem  to  thrive ; 

For,  tho'  a  Sampson  slay  a  lie, 

And  stamp  it  in  the  dust  where  slain, 
Or  blow  the  atoms  to  the  sky — 

Planets  apart,  each  separate  grain — 
Like  Bancho's  ghost,  it  shall  return 

To  walk  the  earth  with  tirelesss  tread, 
While  on  its  altars  Truth  must  burn 

With  crimson  shame,  till  wrong  is  dead. 

Hector  Astore,  the  evil  genius,  has  been  living  for 
some  months  incognito  at  St.  Saul.  Success  had 
crowned  her  efforts  to  place  her  fair  successor  "under 
the  ban,"  and  this  emboldened  her  to  the  commission 
of  the  last  mad  act  in  the  drama  of  her  shameless 
career,  the  desecration  of  Pearl's  portrait. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  271 

It  has  been  said  of  woman,  when  given  over  to  a 
reprobate  life,  that  she  plunges  "cross-lots"  to  Hell. 

The  illustrious  Hector  was  by  no  means  an  excep- 
tion to  the  rule. 

When  night  pitched  her  tent  of  darkness,  another 
shadow,  tall,  thin  and  malignant,  glided  along  the 
familiar  paths  of  Terrace  Hill. 

Attired  in  black,  with  a  scowl  drawn  over  her  face, 
she  approached  so  near  the  persons  of  Pearl  and  her 
husband  as  to  breathe  the  very  atmosphere  of  their 
words,  causing  her  to  be  tortured  by  the  demon  Jea- 
lousy. 

At  such  perilous  hours,  Pearl,  unconsciously  to  her- 
self, deterred  the  wretch  from  accomplishing  her 
terrible  wishes;  just  as  lives  are  guarded  by  guardian 
angels. 

In  the  garden,  on  the  terrace  or  shaded  lawn,  where- 
ever  this  menacing  horror  shadowed  her,  Pearl  in- 
stinctively shuddered,  and  for  that  night,  at  least,  the 
frolic  was  over,  and  the  house  put  on  the  defensive 
against  house-breakers. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  the  peaceful  and  beautiful 
lives  of  the  inmates  at  Terrace  Hill  did  not  have  a 
moral  effect  upon  the  circle  of  shallow  minds  around 
them.  Every  Sabbath  morning — for  Pearl  was  no  fair 
weather  Christian — the  handsome  wife  of  Governor 
Kellogg  walked  through  the  proud  aisles  of  St.  Mark's 


272  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIEACY. 

to  her  niche  of  prayer.  There  only  could  she  be  seen 
unaccompanied  by  her  husband;  and  there  alone — 
the  observed  of  all  observers — she  bowed  low  her 
beautiful  head  among  her  revilers,  persecutors  and 
slanderers;  and  there  her  enemies  armed  them- 
selves anew  against  her,  while  kneeling  beside  her  at 
the  Lord's  table,  where  we  are  warned  of  the  spirit  in 
which  we  partake  of  the  sacred  emblems  of  Christ's 
body  and  blood,  either  "worthily,  or  to  our  damnation." 

When  their  Christian  (?)  spite  lapsed  into  apathy, 
Hector  Astore  returned  to  St.  Saul  and  renewed  the 
fire  under  her  witch-cauldron  with  "the  story  of  the 
portrait,"  a  libel  unmatched  since  the  story  of  the 
necklace  in  the  sad  life  of  Marie  Antoinette. 

A  profound  sensation  was  created  when  the  Rector 
read  the  following  letter  of  resignation  from  Mrs. 
Roland  Clifford,  the  recognized  saint  and  pillar,  and 
last,  but  by  no  means  least  in  the  mercenary  judg- 
ment of  the  church — the  millionaire's  wife: 

To  the  REV.  DR.  CARROLL, 

Rector  of  St.  Mark's, 
And  to  his  followers,  the  prof essed Christians  (?) 

Of  the  Church  of  St.  Mark's— 
Greeting: 

Having  for  twenty-five  years  labored,  and  shared 
the  privileges  and  blessings  in  common  among  you  as 
a  true  church  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  feeling  now 
conscientiously  called  upon  to  sever  this  relation  for- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  273 

ever,  inasmuch  as  my  work  is  no  longer  crowned  with 
God's  blessing,  I  wish  to  set  forth  "  with  charity  for 
all  and  malice  toward  none  "  my  sincere  reasons  for 
so  doing. 

My  prayer  to  God  has  ever  been  that  I  might  be 
shown  the  "beam  in  my  own  eye,"  before  being  able 
to  discover  "the  mote  in  the  eye  of  my  brother,"  and 
charitably,  and  lovingly  and  mercifully  to  judge  all 
men,  knowing  that  all  that  is  mortal  is  fallible  and 
sinful,  and  that  there  are  neither  better  nor  worse 
people  within  than  without  the  churches,  but  that  all 
are  the  children  of  God  and  alike  responsible  to  him 
according  to  their  light,  or  the  number  of  talents  com- 
mitted to  their  trust.  That  the  spirit  of  love  is  the 
only  spirit  to  exercise  in  the  dealing,  one  with  another, 
either  in  the  church,  or  among  the  world's  people. 
That  I  have  observed  with  deep  sorrow  of  heart  the 
rapid  evolution  of  this  church  from  the  Lord's  vine- 
yard into  the  Devil's  workshop!  That  I  have  only 
commiseration  for  those  who  have  suffered  this  un- 
holy outrage  and  joined  hands  and  tongues  with  those 
who  have  perpetrated  and  sanctioned  its  commission. 
For  years  the  sorrow  has  been  secretly  laid  before 
God  in  fervent  prayer  and  burning  ecstacy  of  faith, 
that  He  would  pour  out  his  spirit  of  love  upon  this 
people  and  show  them  the  enormity  of  their  wicked- 
ness, but  as  in  the  days  of  Pharoah,  the  people  seemed 
to  harden  their  hearts  more  and  more,  and  the  blessing 
to  be  deferred  by  Divine  displeasure.  I  then  individ- 
ualized my  work.  I  drew  up  a  writing  upon  which  I 
desired  the  ladies  of  the  church  to  act  by  appending 


274  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

their  own  signatures  thereto.  The  writing  read  as 
follows:  "We,  the  undersigned,  having  witnessed  for 
a  term  of  years  the  world's  scandalous  persecution 
of  our  young  sister  in  the  church — Mrs.  Pearl  La 
Grange  Kellogg — noting  in  all  these  years  the  Christly 
spirit  she  has  displayed  towards  her  enemies,  the  con- 
sistency of  her  church  walk,  her  social  and  domestic 
virtues,  do  believe  she  has  been  most  grossly  and 
cruelly  wronged,  and  propose  henceforth  to  call  upon 
her,  and  take  her  into  full  fellowship,  in  public  and 
private,  and  God  helping  us,  to  frown  down  slander, 
the  moral  and  social  leper  infecting  the  society  of  St. 
Saul,  from  this  hour,  henceforth  and  f orevermore !  " 
That  I  gave  my  personal  attention  and  time  entirely 
to  this  matter  through  the  working  hours  of  many  days, 
carrying  the  same  before  my  God  in  prayer  at  night, 
for  His  blessing;  interviewing  every  lady  member, 
from  the  Pastor's  down  to  the  Sexton's  wife,  without 
as  you  know,  obtaining  one  signature!  And  that  I 
denounce  such  a  church  of  God  as  "A  whited  se- 
pulchre, which,  indeed,  appeareth  beautiful  outwardly, 
but  within  is  full  of  dead  men's  bones,  and  of  all  un- 
cleanness,"  and  that  I  leave  them  with  the  words  of 
the  Saviour,  in  Mathew  23 — 33,  as  pronounced  by  Him 
against  this  and  all  other  great  shams  erected  in  His 
name. 

ZlBIAH  KlCHERSON  CLIFFORD, 

400  Tipton  Ave.,  St.  Saul. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  275 

CHAPTEE  XXIX. 

The  mystic  warnings  in  the  loom  of  fate, 
The  baffling  snarls,  the  worn  and  knotted  thread — 

Patience,  O  soul!    The  hour  is  not  too  late, 
Love  lives.    And  hope,  fair  hope,  is  not  yet  dead. 

The  sun  had  made  the  golden  circle  of  the  day,  and 
strata  of  gorgeous  clouds  massed  themselves  along  the 
western  horizon. 

The  winds  were  still,  and  the  river  basked  in  the 
brilliant  reflections  of  the  dying  day. 

The  elegant  world  had  finished  its  evening  toilet, 
and  was  ready  to  see  and  to  be  seen,  to  hear  and  be 
heard,  to  shine  and  behold,  all  smiling  and  gay,  the 
crowds  of  careless  souls  sauntering  in  slip-shod  ease 
through  the  flowery  vistas  of  Circle  Park. 

There«was  a  fresh  sensation  in  St.  Saul.  A  mon- 
ster, had  suddenly  risen  out  of  a  sea  of  flowers.  Tak- 
ing up  its  position  in  the  public  park,  it  challenged 
alike  the  stupid  and  the  wiseacres,  until  curiosity 
reached  a  high  pitch. 

Old  men  shook  their  heads  and  cried,  "Lunatic!  " 
and  young  men  dismissed  the  puzzle  with  similar  ep- 
ithets directed  at  its  projector,  Doctor  Carlisle,  who 
was  supposed  to  have  been  crazed  by  the  unfilial  con- 
duct of  his  only  son,  who  fan  away  from  college,  jilted 
the  daughter  of  Col.  Veen,  and  had  not  been  seen  or. 


276  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

heard  of  in  six  years.  This  and  many  other  false 
stories  were  circulated  in  connection  with  the  oriental 
image. 

Doctor  Carlisle  having  retired  from  practice,  was 
rarely  to  be  met  in  public;  and  was  branded  in  society 
as  "cranky."  Both  he  and  his  wife  had  dropped  out 
of  the  social  world. 

Now  their  names  were  upon  every  lip,  and  the  doc- 
tor was  besieged  day  and  night  by  newspaper  repor- 
ters, but  he  declined  to  be  interviewed,  referring  curi- 
ous people  to  the  following,  announced  by  the  Sphinx: 

"THE  MYSTEKY! 

A  LIFE  DRAMA! 

For  one  night  only,  at  the  new  Lecture  room  of  St. 
Marks',  in  St.  Saul,  Nov.  8,  18—. 

The  best  talent  has  been  engaged,  and  neither 
money,  time  or  effort  has  been  spared  in  perfecting 
the  play.  There  will  be  grand  orchestral  and  scenic 
effects,  so  that  the  interest  from  the  opening  to  the 
closing  scene  will  be  such  as  has  never  before  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  a  cultured  audience. 
Under  the  sole  management  of 

Louis  CARLISLE,  M.  D." 

"Lay  not  that  flattering  unction  to  your  soul, 

That  not  your  trespass,  but  my  madness,  speaks." 

SHAK. 

The  date  having  thus  been  fixed,  there  remained 
but  thirty  days  of  suspense  before  the  sanity  or  in- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  277 

sanity  of  Doctor  Louis  Carlisle  would  be  established. 

No  preparations  were  visible  beyond  the  selling  of 
the  tickets,  which  were  rapidly  disposed  of  the  capacity 
of  the  building  alone  limiting  the  number. 

To  the  long-tongued  Louisa,  Doctor  Carlisle  owed 
much  of  his  daily  increasing  fame  as  "an  accomplished 
wizard,  erudite  in  witch-craft."  He  was  expected  to 
give  not  only  the  dramatic  phases  of  stage-struck 
lunacy,  but  to  perform  "  feats  of  jugglery  known  only 
to  the  Canadian  conjuror."  The  extravaganza  would 
include  a  bird's  eye  view  of  Stanley  Veen's  Utopia, 
mounted  on  the  spine  of  a  lonely  cactus  springing 
from  the  jaws  of  a  cave  overlooking  the  verdureless 
shores  of  Olmira  Bay — also  a  touching  picture  of  "the 
prodigal  son,  feeding  on  husks  in  a  foreign  land  to 
gratify  an  inherited  mania  for  travel,  while  his  father's 
unlimited  wealth  enabled  him  to  run  a  private  lunatic 
asylum  in  the  home  for  himself  and  stricken  wife, 
and  to  people  the  stage  with  animated  vagaries  for 
the  amusement  of  a  community  thus  tolerant  of  lunacy 
and  liberty."  As  for  herself  she  had  "rather  miss 
attending  her  own  wedding  than  fail  to  witness  the 
debut  of  the  gifted  lune,"  hearty  laughter  representing 
to  the  spinster  much  additional  adipose  tissue  for  her 
scrawny  anatomy. 

So  the  condescending  Louisa,  since  the  credentials 
of  wealth  gave  "  prestige"  to  the  affair,  had  already 


278  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

engaged  a  private  box  (a  pew)  near  the  stage,  and  for 
her  guest's  sake,  facing  the  one  to  be  occupied  by  ex- 
Governor  Kellogg  and  his  lady. 

Miss  Tonguewort  had  given  out  to  her  intimates 
who  were  careful  to  spread  the  news,  that  her  circle  of 
virgins  would  be  sandwiched  upon  this  occason  by  a 
lady  friend  from  San  Diego,  "  the  traveled  and  cul- 
tured widow  of  the  late  Col.  Astore." 

It  was  not  suspected  that  the  guest  was  the  once 
honored  mistress  of  Terrace  Hill. 

The  "Widow  Astore"  paid  little  attention  to  the  all- 
absorbing  theme  furnished  by  the  announcement  of 
the  forthcoming  play,  but  busied  herself  in  secret 
concoctions  for  dealing  a  complete  and  final  blow  to 
"the  rivals  of  her  watch." 

Had  the  ghost  of  her  past  life  arisen  before  this 
unhappy  woman  and  revealed  to  her  that  in  the  ren- 
dition of  "The  Mystery"  her  lethargic  conscience, 
yet  capable  of  one  more  death-throe,  would  be  awak- 
ened; that  the  pit  she  had  dug  for  another  was  about 
to  open  at  her  feet;  such  was  her  inward  sense  of 
guilt,  and  such  her  moral  cowardice  she  would  have 
met  death  speedily  at  her  own, hands. 

"Hearts  of  Oak"  was  upon  the  boards  at  St.  Saul, 
and  the  Park  was  soon  deserted  by  the  fashionable 
citizens  for  the  Opera  House. 

Doctor  Carlisle,  meeting  the  Governor  and  Pearl  at 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  279 

the  foot  of  the  grand  entrance,  remarked  to  the  Gov- 
ernor: 

"I  have  been  in  quest  of  you  all  day.  Did  you  suc- 
ceed in  rinding  the  Durant  affidavit?  " 

"I  did;  but  it  was  owing  to  the  good  memory  of  my 
wife,"  said  the  Governor.  The  incident  at  the  time 
impressed  me,  but  was  erased  from  my  memory.  I 
should  not  have  recognized  the  paper  but  for  Pearl. 
I  will  see  that  you  have  it  at  an  early  hour  to-mor- 
row." 

"  That  will  do.  I  am  obliged  to  you  both.  Good 
night!  "  and  the  Doctor  hurried  home. 

I  said  home.  The  name  had  been  a  misnomer  since 
Hugh's  departure. 

"  What  if  he  returns  again  to-night,  without  news?" 
said  the  doctor's  wife,  shuddering  to  think  what  a 
shadow  she  had  made  of  herself  grieving  for  the  loss 
of  that  presence  which,  from  the  cradle,  had  been  to 
her  a  consolation.  "  Who  comes?  Those  footsteps 
are  too  quick,  too  light  to  bear  a  heart  of  lead,  and 
there  is  no  good  news  in  all  the  world,  unless  it  comes 
from  Hugh!"  said  she,  meeting  her  husband  at  the 
door. 

"Ah,  little  wife,"  said  he,  throwing  both  arms 
around  her,  "  this  sitting  up  so  late  will  never  do. 
If  you  do  not  show  more  respect  for  my  professional 
advice,  I  shall  have  to  appoint  a  guardian  over  you, 


280  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY 

at  least  for  the  next  thirty  days,"  and  the  genial  hus- 
band drew  a  letter  from  his  pocket  and  tapped  his 
wife's  cheek  with  it. 

"O  Louis!  A  letter?  And  it  is  from  our  darling? 
Tell  me,  does  he  live?  My  blessed  Hugh?  " 

"  Live,"  laughed  the  Doctor.  "  His  life  is  more  a 
reality  than  yours  or  mine,  for  he  has  youth;  and  if 
I  have  not  lost  the  gift  of  prophecy,  his  life  will  soon 
take  on  new  attributes. 

Doctor  Carlisle  tenderly  laid  her  upon  the  sofa,  and 
proceeded  to  read  the  letter: 

Iturbide  Hotel,  Mexico  City,  Sept.  20,  18  . 
My  Dear  Parents  : 

Seven  years  have  brought  many  experiences. 

It  was  an  evening  in  September;  myself  and  com- 
panion came  on  horseback,  at  the  close  of  a  beautiful 
twilight,  upon  some  Indian  fishers  encamped  among 
the  bushes  on  the  west  shore  of  Olmira  Bay.  Some 
giant  Pitahallas  stood  near  by. 

Under  one  of  these  we  unsaddled.  A  fire  of  dried 
cactus  was  blazing.  It  marked  and  lighted  the  en- 
campment. Three  or  more  dogs,  a  goat  or  two,  some 
sheep,  two  women,  a  large  boy  and  several  children, 
made  the  group  "at  home." 

The  dogs  growled.  Nothing  else  apparently  noticed 
our  arrival.  Nothing  was  said  to  us;  we  said  nothing 
to  anything.  Fish  were  hanging  from  the  Mesquite 
trees.  The  flesh  of  the  green  sea  turtle,  cut  in  strips, 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  281 

was  dangling  from  the  arms  of  Hechos.*  Many  shells 
of  the  turtle  were  lying  around.  Some  served  for 
seats;  others  held  salt  and  fish  and  one  was  used  for 
a  cradle. 

We  were  tired.  "Within  a  few  minutes  we  were 
stretched  in  our  blankets  in  front  of  and  near  to  the 
fire.  The  burning  fagots  were  company.  They 
cheered  us.  The  temperature,  after  sun  down,  on 
this  shore  is  cool  even  in  summer.  It  was  a  quaint 
and  novel  experience  this,  my  first  evening  at  Olmira. 

The  mute  indifference  of  those  Indian  fishers  made 
a  deep  impression.  I  shudder  in  recalling  their 
silence.  They  moved  from  fire  to  bush,  from  shell  into 
darkness,  stepping  over  or  near,  but  never  noticing  us. 
Did  we  to  them  actually  exist?  Could  it  be  that  we 
were  invisible?  Were  we  no  more  than  shadows? 

I  watched  the  toads  as  they  hopped  close  to  the  fire 
to  catch  the  insects  which,  by  venturing  too  near  the 
flames,  burned  their  wings  and  fell  helpless  victims  at 
the  edge.  The  toads,  the  insects,  the  animals,  the 
Indians,  the  fire,  the  giant  cacti,  the  beautiful  mes- 
quites  and  the  stars  over  all — I  see  them  now  as  then, 
a  wierd  and  mottled  grouping — a  primeval  pastoral 
scene,  sketched  in  the  light  and  shadow,  amidst  the 
flame  and  smoke  of  a  camp  fire,  at  dusk  in  Sinaloa, 
Mexico. 

These  Indians  were  Mayos.  They  are  a  tall,  ath- 
letic race.  Their  pueblos  are  mostly  in  the  valley  of 
the  Kio  Mayo,  in  Sonora  to  the  north.  They  keep 
intact  their  tribal,  community  life;  hold  their  lands 

*A  giant  species  of  cactus,  taller  than  the  pitahalla,  but  not 
so  strong  nor  so  good  a  fruit  producer. 


282  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

in  common,  and  engage  mostly  in  pastoral  and  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  Those  who  wander  away  from  their 
villages  do  chores  for  the  Mexicans  of  the  Eio  Fuerte 
and  Eio  Sinaloa  valleys,  or  work  in  the  mines  of  the 
Sierra  Madre,  directly  east. 

The  language  of  the  Mayos  is  the  Maya.  This  was 
that  of  the  great  Mazapan  nation  which,  in  prehistoric 
times,  filled  Yucatan,  Campeche,  Oaxaca  and  Chiapas 
with  cities  larger  and  stronger  than  any  of  modern 
times  in  Europe  or  elsewhere. 

What  were  the  attractions  to  encourage  the  diversi- 
fication of  home  industries  necessary  to  build  and 
adorn  and  furnish  such  vast  and  solid  cities  like  Aske, 
Uxmeal,  Mitla  and  Palamque?  What  were  the  injus- 
tices practiced  by  those  in  power,  which  eventually 
bemeaned,  degraded  and  enraged  the  people  who 
built  those  cities  so  that  they  razed  them  to  the 
ground,  obliterated  this  nation  from  the  earth  and 
forced  the  few  families  which  survived  the  general 
conflict  to  become  wanderers  to  the  North  and  West? 
What  exposures,  trials  and  vicissitudes  have  combined 
to  reduce  those  survivors  of  that  once  great  and 
marked  civilization  to  a  state  of  primeval  wretched- 
ness, from  which  their  ancestors,  thousands  of  years 
before,  had  climbed  to  an  eminent  degree  of  culture 
and  refinement? 

How  true  it  is  that  men  and  women  owe  everything 
to  the  conditions  which  surround  them.  Like  the 
chameleon,  it  is  those  things  which  they  live  on  and 
with  which  they  surround  themselves  which  give  to 
them  their  tints  and  shades.  Exposures,  denials  and 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  283 

discomforts  distort,  and  make  men  and  women  savage. 
Diverse  occupations,  attractions  and  ease  influence 
persons  to  become  thinking,  progressive  and  respon- 
sible beings.  Thus  musing,  I  fell  asleep. 

It  may  have  been  midnight,  when  I  was  awakened. 
The  fire  was  smouldering.  The  moon  had  climbed 
above  the  mountains  and  had  thrown  a  soft  light  over 
the  camp.  There  were  foot  steps  and  the  breaking  of 
twigs.  An  Indian  came  through  the  bushes  from  the 
beach  with  a  turtle  on  his  shoulder.  He  let  it  fall  to 
the  ground.  It  flopped  violently.  The  Indian  turned 
it  on  its  back.  It  was  quieted.  He  was  a  fisher  just 
returned  from  the  outer  bay.  He  put  a  fish  upon  the 
live  coals,  seated  himself  upon  a  turtle  shell,  turned 
the  fish  once  and  when  it  was  browned  and  steaming 
he  took  off  the  skin  and  scales  (as  one  skins  an  eel) 
and,  thus  prepared,  he  ate  it.  After  this  he  placed  a 
peccari  skin  over  the  breast  plate  of  a  turtle,  threw 
himself  on  top  of  both  and,  with  a  turtle  shell  for  a 
pillow  and  his  feet  upon  a  sleeping  dog,  he  was  in  a 
few  minutes  afterwards  breathing  heavily. 

We  had  traveled  many  days  through  wilderness  and 
over  swollen  rivers  in  search  of  this  out-of-way  and 
little  known  bay.  Our  curiosity  was  keen  to  see  the 
water  and  to  investigate  our  surroundings.  All  was 
quiet.  We  stole  from  our  blankets  and  went  through 
the  bushes  to  the  beach.  What  a  night.  What  a 
panorama.  There  was  Olmira— an  inland  sea.  Moun- 
tains rose  directly  from  out  of  the  water  to  the  east 
and  south.  Ripples  played  on  the  edge  of  the  coming 
in  tide  and  a  dug-out  was  lying  far  up  on  the  shore. 


284  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

We  stood  motionless,  nor  changed  our  position,  prob- 
ably for  the  best  part  of  an  hour,  so  riveted  were  we 
by  the  scene  and  its  perfect  quiet. 

We  could  not  distinguish  an  outlet  to  the  gulf. 
The  mountains  in  front  apparently  joined  those  to  the 
right  without  a  break.  The  straits,  which  Stanley 
since  named  "Joshua,"  and  "OlmiraBay"  proper, 
were  hidden  from  view  in  the  center  of  high,  pictur- 
esque mountains  to  the  south.  To  the  north  and  east 
stretched  a  level  plain  of  grass  and  chapparal. 

The  night,  the  stillness,  the  expanse  of  mountain- 
locked  water,  the  circumstance  of  my  coming,  the  hope 
Stanley  had  to  here  find  a  harbor,  combined  to  make 
the  occasion  one  of  impressiveness  to  me,  an  impres- 
siveness  which  I  always  more  or  less  feel  when  I  am 
on  that  bay  or  in  its  vicinage.  If  the  morning  should 
discover  a  deep  and  safe  channel  to  the  Gulf  of  Cali  - 
fornia,  then  here  (decided  Stanley  at  that  midnight, 
hour)  is  the  site  for  a  great  metropolitan  city;  on 
that  water,  now  without  a  sail,  will  one  day  come  the 
ships  of  every  nation;  on  this  plain  will  dwell  happy 
families;  the  Australasian  will  crowd  to  this  shore  to 
be  welcomed  by  the  European,  who  shall  come  in  train 
from  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  over  plateaux  and  across 
sierras. 

As  we  stood  and  afterwards  strolled  upon  the  beach 
these  thoughts  grew  into  fancies.  We  pictured  the 
shipping  lying  at  anchor,  saw  the  flags  of  many  na- 
tions, heard  the  striking  of  the  city  clocks,  looked  at 
the  stone  quays  shaded  by  palm  trees  and  ornamented 
by  tropical  plants  and  flowers,  listened  to  the  birds 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  285 

singing  within  the  courts  of  the  Moorish  houses  and 
only  awakened  from  the  trance  and  returned  to  our 
blankets  after  the  dawn  had  tinged  the  eastern  hor- 
izon. 

Before  the  sun  peeped  over  the  mountains  that  day 
ihe  camp  was  astir.  The  big  boy  had  taken  fish  and 
^turtle  flesh  on  the  ends  of  a  stick,  a  la  Chinese,  and 
(trotted  away  to  the  settlements  on  the  Rio  Fuerte. 
We  had  some  difficulty  to  persuade  the  Indian  fisher 
[to  take  us  in  his  canoe  for  a  day's  explorations.  We 
&ot  off,  however,  during  the  early  forenoon;  paddled 
[close  to  Pintocahui,  a  turtle-shaped  island  which  lies 
a  mile  east  by  south  of  Mapan  Hill;  passed  through 
She  straits,  since  called  "Joshua,"  and  around  Mumu- 
[Bahul  Island  into  Olmira  Bay  proper,  from  where  we 
paw  the  Farallon  de  San  Ignacio  standing  guard  at 
Ihe  entrance  to  the  gulf. 

Everything  we  examined  combined  to  impress  us 
prith  the  importance  of  these  straits  and  bays  for  a 
feafe,  deep  and  extensive  anchorage.  The  scenic  at- 
tractions were  grand  and  picturesque.  The  advanta- 
ges of  the  north  shore  of  the  straits  for  commercial 
purposes  were  unique.  Stone  quays  and  piers  could 
|>e  built  there  quicker  and  cheaper  than  at  any  deep 
srater  front  I  had  ever  examined. 
*  I  well  remember  how  abundant  and  in -how  many 
Varieties  the  fish  were;  how  they  jumped  in  schools 
from  the  channel,  and  how  pretty  they  looked  among 
fiie  sea-growths  and  rocks,  in  the  deep  water  near  the 
shores. 

How  astonished  I  was  at  the  tameness  of  the  birds. 


286  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

The  pelicans,  the  snipes,  the  flamingoes,  the  blue 
herons,  the  ibis  and  the  fish  hawks  did  not  seem  to 
mind  our  presence  any  more  than  the  Indians  did  the 
night  before.  I  noticed  many  smaller  birds — little 
warblers,  and  heard  some,  about  the  size  of  our  cat 
bird,  sing  in  the  bushes  which  covered  the  hills  and 
presented  varieties  of  flowers  that  I  had  never  seen 
before,  and  I  can  now  see  afar  the  great  swallow- 
tailed  hawks  as  they  soared,  far  above  mountains, 
over  the  bay,  in  the  clear  blue  firmament  which  cano- 
pies this  region  most  days  of  the  year. 

That  night  as  I  rested  on  my  blanket  and  looked 
into  the  glowing  embers  of  the  camp-fire,  my  thoughts 
recalled  the  excitements,  the  surprises  of  the  day,  and 
my  eye  followed  the  smoke  as  it  curled  up  over  the 
bushes  and  into  the  darkness,  and  my  fancy  formed 
with  the  smoke  a  model  city,  an  inter-oceanic  railroad 
and  a  Pacific  merchant  fleet. 

The  second  day  on  the  shores  of  Olmira  was  passed 
partly  on  horseback  and  partly  on  foot,  in  examining 
the  site  for  a  city,  and  the  approaches  to  the  best 
front  for  commercial  purposes.  We  went  from  Mapan 
to  what  has  since  become  familiar  as  Shield's  Burr 
Ridge,  through  Roger's  and  over  Perkins'  to  Harbor 
Pass.  Here,  on  the  north  shore  of  the  straits,  now 
"Joshua,"  we  located,  in  our  minds,  the  great  quays 
and  piers — the  shipping  front  of  the  metropolis  to  be. 
My  companion  passed  the  day  sounding  the  channels 
in  Olmira. 

Stanley  was  satisfied.  I  was  more  than  convinced; 
I  was  enchanted  with  the  idea  that  this  was  the  place, 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  287 

the  best  of  all  on  the  western  coast  of  Mexico,  for  a 
great  port.  Nature  had  assuredly  made  here  a  great 
harbor.  Enterprise  would  establish  a  great  port;  and 
a  port  having  the  geographical  and  the  immediate 
back-country  resources  possessed  by  Olmira,  would  at- 
tract the  exchanges  of  the  earth. 

As  we  rode  away  that  evening  I  felt  that  the  fancies 
of  our  first  and  second  nights  on  the  shores  of  Olmira 
Bay  would  some  day  be  more  than  realized.  I  settled 
that  from  that  time  on  I  would  never  rest  until  Olmira 
became  "a  household  word"  among  commercial  peo- 
ple; until  the  two  republics  of  North  America  had 
utilized  the  advantages  and  Olmira  had  become  a  fa- 
vorite place  to  exchange  for  the  nations  of  the  world. 

And  now,  my  adored  ones,  what  shall  I  say  of  the 
prospective  drama,  the  conception  of  which  is  another 
revelation  to  me  of  my  father's  genius,  under  the 
stress  of  untoward  circumstances?  It  seems  to  me 
like  the  careful  work  of  a  conscientious  scientist,  who 
is  highly  qualified,  after  years  of  experimentation,  to 
make  an  unerring  choice  of  the  ripe  materials  in  his 
hands,  and  whose  success  is  as  assured  (in  advance  of 
the  trial)  as  is  the  conservation  of  the  globe  and 
human  life  to  meet  the  hour. 

In  taking  the  role  of  the  "Wanderer,"  I  shall  re- 
quire none  of  the  disguises  you  mention — no  meta- 
morphoses of  the  stage  to  prevent  being  recognized 
by  an  audience  in  St.  Saul. 

You  must  remember  a  seven  years  exile  makes  me 
a  stranger  in  St.  Saul ;  add  to  this  the  fact  that  I  have 
not  used  a  razor  since  I  left  college,  and  you  will  com- 


288  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

preliend  the  great  change  in  my  personal  appearance. 
Nothing  perplexes  me  at  this  writing  but  the  wonder- 
ful riddle  of  the  "Sphinx,"  which  you  claim  is  your 
special  privilege  to  keep  until  the  last  act  of  "  The 
Mystery."  Be  it  so,  and  rest  assured,  there  is  noth- 
ing in  the  astral  turning  point  of  destiny  for  me, 
nothing  in  the  outcome  of  evolving  events  nor  in 
heaven  or  earth,  or  fires  within  her  bosom,  that  can 
break  the  indissoluble  tie  which  knits  our  lives  in 
kindred  love. 

Your  Devoted  Son, 

HUGH. 

"  The  Angel  of  Sleep  will  come  to-night,"  said  Mrs. 
Carlisle,  as  she  sank  into  her  husband's  arms,  and  pil- 
lowed her  head  upon  his  faithful  breast. 

****** 

If  Doctor  Carlisle  had  been  en  rapport  with  the 
elements,  and  ordered  the  evening  in  advance,  he 
could  not  have  had  a  more  auspicious  night  for  the 
rendition  of  his  play. 

The  cultured  world  of  St.  Saul  was  out  in  full  even- 
ing attire,  hastening  towards  the  imposing  edifice 
from  whose  windows  the  lights  flashed  far  out  into 
the  night,  like  so  many  fire-tongues,  announcing  their 
illuminating  agency  in  the  unravelment  of  "The 
Mystery." 

The  lecture  room  had  been  engaged  by  Doctor 
Carlisle,  and  closed  to  the  public  for  a  number  of 
days.  To  add  to  the  furore  of  curiosity  the  Sphinx 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  289 

had  disappeared  from  the  park.  On  the  previous 
evening  lights  had  been  seen  to  twinkle  from  the  eyes 
and  mouth  of  the  monster,  and  a  party  of  midnight 
strollers  declared  that  a  carriage,  or  the  phantom  of 
one,  -was  seen  to  enter  the  park  from  Tanglewood 
pike,  and  two  persons— a  lady  and  a  gentleman- 
alighted  before  the  Sphinx,  and  one  of  them  was  de- 
voured, as  only  her  companion  reentered  the  carriage, 
which  was  driven  away  with  the  speed  of  the  wind. 

Thus  "  The  Mystery"  had  maintained  the  integrity 
of  its  name.  Neither  Doctor  Carlisle  nor  his  artists 
had  appeared  upon  the  street,  and  in  the  absence  of 
preliminaries  a  notable  exception  was  established  to 
break  the  universal  rule  that  '*  coming  events  cast 
their  shadows  before." 

But  "  nothing  is  immortal  in  this  world,  save  mor- 
tality;" so  the  hour  which  had  been  fixed  upon  for 
the  opening  of  the  doors  arrived;  and,  "as  one  who 
has  climbed  a  mountain  height  and  carried  up  his 
own  heart,  scaling  panting  in  his  throat  with  the 
toil  of  the  ascent,  takes  breath  at  last,  and  gazes  back 
in  triumph,"  so  stood  Carlisle  and  looked,  and  looking 
—  wondered  if  the  T  mple  could  contain  the  gather- 

:d"V 

ing  multitude. 


290  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

CONCLUSION. 

"The  world's  a  stage"  on  which  all  people  act, 
Each  his  own  role,  an  image  or  a  fact 

Of  something  lived  in  an  existence  real — 

There  is  no  fiction  in  the  realm  ideal. 
Thought  is  immortal  substance  clear  as  light; 
Truth  its  divine  exponent,  faith  its  sight! 

Through  the  grand  entrance  to  the  lecture  room, 
swept  a  tidal  wave  of  humanity. 

No  sooner  had  the  great  audience  seated  itself 
than  its  attention  was  c  ccupied,  by  the  novelty  and 
refinement  of  its  surroundings.  In  lieu  of  foot-lights 
an  immense  chandeUer  was  suspended  from  the  ceil- 
ing by  chains. 

Pendant  from  the  center  of  the  galleries  opposite 
the  drop-curtain  (which  was  a  marvel  of  oriental 
splendor),  was  an  oblong  Venetian  mirror,  repeating 
the  brilliancy  of  the  scene. 

Just  as  the  orchestra  began  to  tune,  and  curious 
eyes  seemed  determined  to  bore  through  the  drop- 
curtain  which  ominously  trembled  and  waved  to  and 
fro,  a  hush  fell  upon  the  house,  and  for  a  moment  the  un- 
precedented wealth  of  instrujrn  -ntation  was  forgotten, 
as  ex-Governor  Kellogg  an -1  lady  with  a  distinguished 
looking  stranger,  entered) their  box — or  floral  bower, 
as  might  better  be  said\»i.  the  pew  ex  oressly  prepared 
to  receive  them,  and  which  was  a  most  delicate  pub- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  291 

lie  testimonial  of  the  Doctor's  friendship  for  the  Gov- 
ernor, and  reverent  admiration  for  his  wife. 

One  quick,  commanding  glance,  such  as  an  empress 
might  have  thrown  over  her  slaves — the  natural  ex- 
pression of  virtuous  hauteur  and  conscious  rectitude — 
sweeping  over  parquette  and  galleries,  as  if  seeking 
expected  Enemies,  and  the  lady  was  seated,  and  hund- 
reds of  eyes  dropped  in  shame  before  her  innocent 
gaze. 

Never  had  Pearl  looked  more  transcendently  beauti- 
ful. Never  had  her  presence  so  impressed  and  re- 
buked her  evil-tougued  adversaries,  who  were  com- 
pelled to  witness  the  perfect  oration  she  received  as 
when  her  cloak,  a  gorgeous  crimson  plush,  lined  with 
ermine,  fell  gracefully  from  her  shoulders,  revealing 
her  matchless  form  simply  but  elegantly  robed  in 
white,  without  jewels  other  than  those  which  sparkled 
and  flashed  from  her  glorious  eyes,  and  a  bunch  of 
lilies,  which  rose  and  fell  with  the  creamy  folds  of 
lace  upon  her  bosom. 

Whether  conscious  or  unconscious  of  her  beauty, 
the  good  sense  of  this  woman  was  betokened  by  her 
modest  dress.  Thus  she  quietly  folded  her  wings,  to 
prevent  others  from  feeling  they  had  none. 

"  Who  is  this  new  lover?"  said  Hector  Astore  to 
Louisa  Tongue  worths,  seated  opposite,  she  gloated  in 
jealous  agony  upon  ^he  radiant  vision  through  her 
glasses. 


292  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"O,  that  in  her  old  flame,  Stanley  Veen,"  replied 
Louisa,  who  was  making  an  inventory  of  Pearl's  toilet 
"You  did  not  recognize  him,  as  he  is  frightfully 
changed  since  his  recent  illness.  They  say  Governor 
Kellogg  dragged  him  out  of  a  saloon  in  a  fit  of  de- 
lirium tremens;  and  that  painted  mink  of  his  (an 
adept  in  nursing  drunkards)  brought  him  Fack  to  life, 
and  doubtless  with  renewed  ardor,  again  at  her  feet.  At 
all  events  he  does  not  seem  to  be  in  haste  to  return  to 
his  Mexican  harem." 

"  I  have  observed  the  same  base  proclivities  in 
others — high-born  as  Veen,"  replied  Hector.  "  Men 
brought  up  in  cultivated  society  seem  to  take  the 
greatest  pleasure  in  associating  with  common  people, 
only  imposing  elegance  upon  themselves  as  a  duty, 
they  indulge  in  vulgarity  as  a  recreation.  This  low 
tendency  in  human  cattle  explains  the  eternal  struggle 
between  nature  and  education;  the  taste  and  passion 
of  distinguished  men  for  bad  company;  for  the  more 
reserved  and  dignified  they  are  in  their  manners,  the 
more  they  seem  possessed  to  train  in  the  society  of 
worthless  men  and  blemished  women." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Louisa,  whose  vision  remained  cir- 
cumscribed by  the  Governor's  box,  "  men  are  more 
inclined  to  love  women  they  can  pity,  than  women 
who  command  respect.  Some  nreu  are  such  arrant, 
crank-philanthropists,  they  mak>3  this  scheme  the  work 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  293 

of  their  lives,  keeping  it  up  from  mere  force  of  habit, 
till  their  heads  are  white.  I  find  love  the  most  merci- 
less and  wearisome  of  labors,  followed  as  a  vocation; 
so  I  temper  the  ardor  of  my  disposition  by  the  indol- 
ence of  my  nature,"  and  the  passion-freighted  Louisa, 
with  a  kittenish  shrug  of  the  shoulders,  wrinkled  up 
the  dry  parchment  of  her  facial  cuticle  into  what  she 
imagined  to  be  a  most  winsome  smile,  but  which  would 
only  have  suggested  to  a  good  physiognomist  the 
painful  crisis  in  some  occult  and  griping  infirmity. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  be  dressed  in  better  taste," 
continued  Louisa.  "  But  what  puzzles  me  is  to  see 
so  many  fashionable  ladies  here  who  look  like  apple- 
venders  beside  this  girl,  who  carries  herself  with  the 
air  of  a  princess." 

"O,"  spitefully  retorted  the  emerald-eyed  widow. 
"  This  is  also  a  trick  of  the  profession;  the  art  of  seem- 
ing artless.  See  how  carefully  she  has  chosen  her 
position.  The  deep  green  leaves  of  the  trellieed  vine 
form  a  dark  back-ground,  showing  distinctly  the  out- 
line of  her  figure;  while  the  delicacy  of  the  drapery 
in  which  she  has  developed  it,  gives  her  the  sem- 
blance of  a  fairy." 

"  Yes,"  quickly  chimed  in  the  spinster,  "  and  no  un- 
sanctified  man  can  resist  such  women;  much  less  the 
Governor,  whom  she  has  literally  wound  around  her 
finger  and  fastened  securely  to  her  belt,  and  by  no 


294  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

stronger  visible  thread  than  the  limp  stamens  of  a 
lily.  This  must  be  a  talisman,  this  inevitable  bouquet 
of  hers;  and  if  I  were  reducing  your  vengeance  to 
science,  I  should  shed  lily  pollen,  before  blood;  and  I 
should  proceed  to  do  this  before  fate  pronounced  the 
word  "Never!"  And  Miss  Tonguewort  transferred 
her  gaze  from  the  Governor's  box  to  the  implacable 
Hector,  to  note  the  effect  of  her  grand  eloquence,  but 
was  startled  to  see  Lady  Astore  pale  as  death  and  as 
motionless,  staring  in  the  direction  of  the  Venetian 
mirror. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  you,  old  gal?"  said 
Louisa.  "  You  are  not  going  to  imitate  Narcissus, 
because  you  cannot  reach  your  beautiful  reflection, 
are  you  ?" 

"  Hush  !"  hissed  the  pale  lips.  "Tell  me,  what  do 
you  see  in  the  mirror?" 

"I  see  the  drop-curtain  only,"  answered  her  com- 
panion. "  Soon  we  shall  see  something  wonderfully 
great,  either  drawn  from  the  erudite  walls  of  meta- 
physical theology,  or  the  spiritualistic  recesses  of 
modern  mysticism." 

"  Oh!  Come  down  from  your  stilts;  I  am  in  no  mood 
for  jesting,  and  you  should  not  be,  at  this  juncture  in 
our  affairs.  Do  you  believe  in  hallucinations?"  said 
Hector,  trying  to  resume  calmness. 

"  I  believe  that  with  Satan  everything  is  possible, 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  295 

at  least  in  your  case.  Now  tell  me  which  of  these 
salamandrine  imps  appeared  to  you  in  that  looking- 
glass,"  said  Louisa. 

"  My  very  worst  enemy,"  said  Hector,  "and  one 
I  supposed  dead  twenty-five  years  ago." 

"Twenty-five  years,"  loudly  whispered  the  astounded 
Louisa.  ""Well,  I  always  thought  you  were  a  relic 
of  barbarism.  Pray,  what  could  such  an  old  fossil  of 
an  enemy  have  to  do  with  you  now — a  woman  who  has 
had  since  then,  in  Byronic  language,  'a  career  brief, 
brave  and  glorious.'  ' 

"O,  nothing  in  reality,"  said  Hector.  "  I  am  par- 
ticularly nervous  to-night,  since  I  entered  this  box. 
If  I  related  my  experience  since  sitting  here  to  a  med- 
ium, I  should  be  declared  both  clairvoyant  and  clair- 
audient.  But  where  is  young  Veen's  sister?  I  do 
not  see  her  here  to-night." 

"  No  one  really  knows  what  the  poor  girl  has  done 
with  herself.  You  know,  she  was  too  full  of  quirks, 
like  her  brother  there?"  said  Miss  Tonguewort.  "At 
last  accounts  she  was  in  a  convent  for  the  avowed  ob- 
ject of  perfecting  herself  in  aesthetics,  studying  mu- 
sic and  painting.  It  is  said  she  posesses  great  histri- 
onic talent,  and  intends  to  return  to  St.  Saul  some 
day,  and  surprise  her  old  friends  with  her  wonderful 
voice.  Since  her  father  and  mother  have  stepped  out, 
her  list  of  friends  begins  and  ends  with  the  trio  in 
the  Governor's  box." 


296  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

"You  forget  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Carlisle,  and  their 
pimping  blonde,"  rejoined  the  widow  Astore,  with  a 
sinister  expression  in  her  face.  "  How  I  detested 
that  saxon-haired  jackanapes,  who  insulted  me  at  our 
first  interview.  He  had  something  such  eyes  as — O, 
God  and  devils!  There  he  is  again!  Rake  hades 
over  and  his  face  cannot  be  duplicated.  He  is  look- 
ing at  me.  O  demons  of  darkness!  "  and  the  hue  of 
death  overspread  her  features,  as  she  sank  back,  cov- 
ering her  eyes  with  both  hands. 

Only  the  searcher  of  hearts  could  see  the  dark  re- 
solves so  lately  firmly  fixed  in  her  mind,  one  by  one 
escaping  through  every  nerve  and  tissue  of  her  trem- 
bling frame;  and  now  while  Miss  Tonguewort  is  vig- 
orously fanning  the  shattered  mind  together  again, 
let  us  investigate  the  reflection  in  the  Venetian  mirror. 

It  is  a  gentleman's  front,  and  he  sits  so  near,  it  is 
only  when  he  bends  forward  that  the  double  of  his 
face  falls  upon  the  margin  of  the  great  reflector.  He 
is  not  old,  he  is  not  youthful  looking;  but  his  coun- 
tenance is  exceedingly  striking  and  distinguished. 
The  large  blue  eyes,  the  full  lips,  the  high  and 
thoughtful  forehead,  the  hair  still  dark,  luxuriant  and 
waving,  identify  him  at  once  to  her  who  has  carried 
his  image  within  her  brain  thirty  years. 

He  is  pale,  and  the  wavering  lights  which  burn  in 
front  of  him  give  something  ghastly  to  his  reflection. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  297 

He  is  a  stranger  and  a  foreigner.  If  he  has  friends 
in  St.  Saul,  he  has  not  permitted  them  to  welcome 
him,  and  since  alighting  from  the  train  he  has  not  had 
time  to  register  at  any  of  the  hotels.  He  is  commis- 
sioned hither,  as  is  apparent  from  the  careful  ar- 
rangement of  his  papers  within  his  grip,  from 
which  he  has  taken  a  letter  containing  a  memoran- 
dum that  may  help  the  reader  to  place  him. 

"  Infant  son  of  Adrian  and  Hector  Astore,  adopted 
by  sanction  of  law,  with  change  of  name,  as  the  legal 
heir  of  Louis  and  Emmie  Carlisle.  Dates  agreeing 
with  those  recorded  at  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital. 
Doctor  Carlisle  and  wife,  eminently  qualified  to  give 
a  satisfactory  report  of  his  trust.  Their  present  re- 
sidence in State,  City  of  St.  Saul. " 

The  stranger  consulted  his  watch.  It  was  time  for 
the  curtain  to  rise. 


"  Are  the  wires  working  well  in  my  resonator,  and 
is  the  mouse  in  her  trap?  "  said  Doctor  Carlisle,  enter- 
ing at  the  rear  of  the  stage,  and  addressing  his  son. 

"  Perfectly.  The  machinery  is  admirably  adjusted. 
The  accoustics  could  not  be  improved,  and  I  have  been 
hugely  entertained  and  enlightened  by  the  modest 
tete-a-tete  of  your  two  charming  rodents,  who  sit 
eagerly  nibbling  the  bait." 

"I5e  more  respectful,  young  man.     There  may  be 


298  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

an  old  acquaintance  of  yours  in  that  box.  When  we 
are  walking  through  graveyards,  we  must  step  cau- 
tiously over  every  undulation,  or  we  may  trample 
upon  the  bones  of  our  ancestors." 

The  young  man  looked  puzzled,  but  smilingly  re- 
plied: 

"  The  walls  of  the  Sphinx  are  yet  reverberating  our 
praises.  It  is  a  grand  thing  to  possess  vulnerable 
points,  especially  when  one  can  be  like  a  chip-squirrel 
in  the  wall — seeing  and  hearing  all,  yet  seen  and 
heard  by  none.  If  the  play  rewards  your  genius  as 
well  as  do  the  operations  of  this  admirable  little  ma- 
chine, my  father  will  be  crowned  to-night,  not  only  as 
the  peer  of  artists,  but  that  noblest  work  of  God." 

"Say  no  more  my  son,"  interrupted  the  Doctor,  "the 
eyes  of  love  are  partial.  I  have  only  striven  to  do 
my  duty."  Here  both  recognized  the  final  notes  of 
the  orchestra,  and  the  son  disappeared  in  the  scenery, 
while  the  father  vanished  through  a  secret  door  in  the 
side  of  the  Sphinx,  saying,  as  he  entered  the  little 
observatory  prepared  for  the  invisible  actor:  "Lord, 
abide  with  us,  for  it  is  toward  evening,  and  the  day  is 
far  spent." 

The  drums  are  silent,  and  the  last  note  of  Gott- 
shalk's  Marche  de  Nuit  trembles  upon  the  air  as  one 
brass  instrument  after  another  is  hushed.  There  is 
a  stir  in  the  audience  as  the  strings  take  up  a  low 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  299 

tremolo  movement,  growing  softer  and  fainter;  and 
the  musicians,  one  by  one  noiselessly  depart,  and  it 
grows  darker  and  lonelier  around  the  orchestra.  And 
now  the  lights  from  the  tree  of  the  grand  chandelier 
are  lowered  till  they  only  present  the  tiniest  points  of 
flame,  and  a  shudder  creeps  over  the  audience,  even 
though  it  is  accompanied  by  a  smile,  at  the  strange- 
ness of  it  all. 

It  is  the  last  moment  of  suspense,  and  the  curtain 
slowly  rises  upon  an  impossible  picture  of  mortal 
loveliness,  clothed  in  summer  verdure  and  autumnal 
dreaminess.  The  yellow  moonlight  floated,  a  tremb- 
ling veil  of  transparent  gold,  over  the  landscape,  light- 
ing up  deep  interstices  of  forest,  and  heightening  the 
effect  of  a  floral  ambuscade  of  some  huge  object  at  the 
rear  of  the  stage. 

The  foreground  was  a  grass  plat,  with  broad  alleys 
of  bloom,  in  the  center  of  which  stood  a  marble 
shrine,  dazzlingly  white  in  the  amber  light;  and, 
legible  to  all,  over  its  arch-way  of  prayer  were  the 
words : 

"SHKINE  OF  ST.  AGNEW," 

with  the  motto  in  gold  lettering  beneath: 

"  GOD,  WATCHING  OVER  US,  SLUMBERS  NOT,  NOR  SLEEPS." 

The  velvet  sward  around  was  sewn  with  flowers, 
and  dew-drops,  like  unto  shattered  diamonds,  sparkled 


300  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

everywhere.  The  door  of  a  summer  house  near  by 
stood  open,  as  if  some  radiant  vision  of  the  night  had 
just  passed  through,  and  only  the  cool  plash  of  a 
fountain,  and  rustling  music,  as  of  whispering  winds, 
stirred  the  profound  repose. 

The  effect  was  magical,  and  one  could  distinctly 
hear  one's  own  heart  beat  in  the  stillness  which  per- 
vaded the  house.  The  next  moment  there  burst  forth 
such  a  storm  of  applause  as  never  reverberated  within 
church  walls,  quickly  followed  by  a  call  for  the  artist 
But  in  lieu  of  such  acknowledgment,  the  embankment 
of  flowers  gracefully  bent  forward,  to  the  manifest  ap- 
preciation of  the  audience. 

When  silence  was  restored,  a  flute  was  heard,  as  if 
from  a  distance,  playing  the  prelude  of  a  song;  and 
now  a  lady  emerges  from  the  dense  shadows,  passes 
through  the  arbor,  and  approaches  the  shrine.  She 
is  the  ideal  of  a  Roman  woman.  Tall,  splendidly  pro- 
portioned, lithe-footed  as  a  fawn,  with  starry  midnight 
eyes,  out  of  whose  dusky  depths  shine  boundless  pos- 
sibilities of  passion,  yet  with  a  force  and  energy  which 
betrays  also  the  wealth  of  nature's  full  complement 
in  spiritual  powers. 

She  was  clothed  in  a  white  neglige  of  some  light 
and  costly  material,  with  a  myrtle  leaf,  sitting  like  a 
crown  upon  her  rich,  abundant  hair.  Her  complexion 
was  as  pure  as  marble,  with  only  a  thought  of  ruddi- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  301 

ness,  the  shell  pink  bloom  of  youth,  on  her  beautiful 
lips. 

As  if  unconscious  of  her  audience,  and  wrapt  in  the 
spell  of  loveliness  around  her,  she  breathed  forth  the 
emotions  of  her  soul,  not  in  the  snarl  of  trills  and 
roulades  one  is  accustomed  to  hear,  but  in  a  song  out 
of  nature's  heart,  ringing  with  a  sweetness  and  fire 
that  carried  every  hearer  irresistibly: 

HER    SONG. 

Fair  moon!    As  you  sail  through  your  star-lighted  dome, 

O  lead  him,  my  wanderer,  back  to  his  home! 

The  lights  are  gone  out  on  his  hearth-stone  and  mine; 

And  the  rekindling  spark,  it  is  thine,  it  is  thine! 
(She  kneels.) 

Again,  at  this  same  little  gateway  of  prayer, 

St.  Agnew,  I  kneel  in  my  latent  despair. 

It  was  here  we  were  pledged  in  the  far  away  past; 

And  here  I  return  for  thy  blessing,  at  last. 

Lead  gently  and  truly,  fair  queen  of  the  night; 

He  walks  in  the  darkness,  and  thou  in  the  light. 
(She  prays.) 

Dear  Jesus,  God-master,  with  human  heart  beat, 

Hear  my  prayer  in  these  kisses  I  pour  at  thy  feet. 

It  is  thine,  this  endowment  of  wonderful  love 

First  showered  on  Thee  from  the  wings  of  a  dove. 

Pluck  it  out  of  my  life,  or  bid  it  unfold, 

Like  the  scroll  of  the  morning,  in  purple  and  gold. 
(On  rising,  she  hears  a  voice  issuing  out  of  the  Sphinx, 
whose  hideous  proportions  are  concealed  by  an  embankment 
of  flowers.) 

LANGUAGE  OF  THE  VOICE: 

Who  calleth  on  the  dread  unknown 
Jehovah?    He  who  sit  a  throne 
Built  on  the  disc  of  countless  worlds, 
From'which  this  atom  globe  unfolds? 


302  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

(Supposing  it  to  be  a  spirit,  she  answers:) 
One  who  hath  at  the  Master's  feet, 
Learned  life's  great  lesson,  patience  sweet; 
And  in  the  garden  walked  with  Him, 
Who  makes  the  cross  a  cherubim. 

(The  voice  replies:) 
But  surely  God  is  not  alone 
In  all  your  thoughts,  since  you  enthrone 
A  lover  there,  whose  fortune  makes 
A  martyr  to  her  sad  mistakes. 
Behold  the  message  at  thy  feet, 
The  ground  is  holy  where  we  meet. 

(She  stoops,  picks  up  a  scroll  and  reads:) 
"God's  messengers  are  in  the  wind; 
They  breathe  of  heaven  and  all  things  kind. 
Around  thy  being  like  a  zone. 
There  arms  of  mercy  are  now  thrown. 
But  one  more  test  remains  to  thee, 
Ere  breaks  the  seal  of  mystery. 
The  moonlight  walks  the  path  before 
The  Druid  chapel's  open  door, 
Where  every  year,  when  Nature  grieves, 
She  sheds,  like  tears,  her  falling  leaves, 
A  Druidess  is  found  within, 
Who  ferrets  out  all  secret  sin 
And  makes  the  wretched  author  bear 
The  burden  of  its  dark  despair. 
This  night  her  judgment  throne  is  spread; 
And  every  tear  of  anguish  shed, 
Burns  in  the  rainbow  'round  her  head. 
To  her  repair  and  there  await 
The  stern  arbitrament  of  fate. 
Fear  not.    The  innocent  are  blessed, 
Thrice  blessed  of  God,  as  Heaven's  guest 
Their  prayers  on  midnight  stars  ascend. 
Haste!  and  God's  angels  thee  attend. 

A  curtain  of  mist  falls,  through  which  she  is  seen  to 
glide  swiftly  away  and  disappear  beyond  the  embank- 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  303 

ment  of  flowers  The  mist  dissolves,  floating  away 
upon  the  plaintive  notes  of  a  serenade;  and  the  scene 
is  changed  to  bloom.  The  moon  rides  high  in  a  mid- 
night sky;  but  her  beams  are  obscured  by  black 
patches  of  clouds  driven  before  the  breath  of  the 
tempest.  A  leafless  forest  rises,  stretching  its  naked 
branches  heavenward,  as  in  voiceless  prayer.  A  scene 
so  sombre,  solemn  and  cold,  it  invokes  the  silent  tribute 
of  a  shiver  from  the  audience. 

In  the  foreground,  surrounded  by  grey  dead  mosses 
and  lichen,  stands  the  pale  shrine  of  St.  Agnew.  Its 
bright  wreaths,  faded  and  torn,  lie  wind-strewn  at  its 
base,  and  within  the  arch  a  candle  burns  dimly  and 
flickeringly  into  its  ebony  socket. 

The  mist-cloud  hangs  heavy  at  the  rear  of  the  stage, 
concealing  the  embankment  of  flowers;  and  the  lights 
have  been  lowered  throughout  the  building  to  enhance 
the  gloom,  rendered  all  the  more  effective  by  an  in- 
visible chorus  distinctly  repeating  the  motto  of  St. 
Agnew:  "  God,  watching  over  us,  slumbers  not,  nor 
sleeps." 

Then  tremble  again  the  strings  of  an  instrument, 
and  faint  and  far-off  melodies  breathe  forth  into  the 
night,  which  gathers  thicker  and  blacker  around,  as 
the  figure  of  a  man  enveloped  in  a  cloak,  approaches 
the  shrine. 

The  mellow  vaporous  light  did  not  conceal  his  fine 


304  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

presence,  nor  the  visor  of  his  cap  hide  the  rare  ex- 
pression, the  almost  tender  beauty  of  his  face. 

Falling  upon  his  knees  before  the  shrine,  his  rich 
voice  took  up  the  recitative  of  a  song,  in  tones  so  im- 
ploring, that  it  seemed  the  petition  of  a  wounded 
spirit^praying  in  the  death-struggle  to  God  for  pity. 

HIS  PRAYER. 

I  am  a  wanderer,  God's  fair  earth 
Gives  me  no  place,  no  home,  no  birth, 
No  kindred,  no  delightful  aim, 
The  heritage  of  honored  name. 
Robbed  of  these  gifts,  I'm  reft  of  all 
Which  makes  earth's  loveliness  a  thrall. 

Illusion  played  her  park  so  well, 
The  dismal  shadow  never  fell 
Upon  my  life,  till  my  false  name 
Essayed  to  link  the  bridal  chain. 
Then  Fortune  hurled  her  fatal  dart; 
O  reckless  aim,  she  missed  my  heart. 

So  heart  and  fortune  wage  the  war 
Which  fate  began  in  climes  afar; 
And  though  I  trace  my  birth-star  down 
Below  the  brood  of  Heaven's  crown, 
Into  the  depths  of  sin  and  shame, 
Deep  as  my  sire  hath  dragged  his  name, 
There  and  there  only  would  I  trace 
The  blood  and  choler  of  my  race. 

"  Hold!  "  cried  a  voice  from  out  the  mist, 

"  Your  troubles  score  too  fast  to  list. 

Above  thee  Mercy's  tent  is  spread; 

Heed  thou  the  Message,  when  'tis  read." 
(Startled  by  the  voice  and  words  of  the  invisible  presence, 
the  young  man  rises  from  his  knees,  discovers  a  parchment  at 
his  feet,  unfolds  and  reads: 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  305 

"  Wanderer,  God  hath  heard  thy  prayer, 
Borne  from  Agnew's  holy  stair. 
At  the  hour  of  midnight  gloom, 
Light  of  stars  and  light  of  moon 
Shall  forsake  the  earth,  all  sight 
Swallowed  up  in  noon  of  night. 
Haste!    The  morning  dawns  apace, 
When  the  secrets  of  thy  race 
Shall  be  scattered  as  the  leaves 
When  the  heart  of  nature  grieves. 
Promptly  at  the  midnight  hour, 
Ere  its  last  stroke  in  the  tower 
Be  at  Druid  Chapel's  door; 
Angels  walk  the  path  before." 

At  this  moment  a  flood  of  light  enveloped  the  shrine. 
Soft  and  distant  tones  of  music  were  borne  in  upon 
the  audience — a  melody  so  reverent,  so  tender,  so  be- 
seeching, the  beams  of  light  seemed  to  thrill  and  vi- 
brate to  the  sweet  notes  till  they  mingled  with  each 
other  on  the  air;  and  with  the  vanishing  figure  of  the 
wanderer,  the  curtain  descended  to  the  height  of  the 
shrine,  where  it  waved  tremulously,  as  though  rocked 
in  the  breath  of  the  whispered  chorus,  repeating  the 
impressive  recitation:  "Lord,  have  mercy  upon  us! 
Christ,  have  mercy  upon  us!  "  Fainter  and  farther 
off  echoed  the  pathetic  wail  until,  sustained  by  a  soli- 
tary instrument,  it  died  away.  The  lights  were  ex- 
tinguished, the  candle  fell  into  its  socket,  and  total 
darkness  shrouded  the  scene. 

As  soon  as  the  applause  subsided,  the  lights  were 
restored  around  the  stage,  and  the  curtain  rose  before 


306  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

the  open  doors  of  an  ancient  temple,  circular,  and 
open  at  the  top,  through  which  the  mysterious  order  of 
fire  worshippers  were  supposed  to  consult  directly  the 
secret  will  of  divinity.  Within  an  arch  supporting 
the  dome,  was  Cornelius'  statue  of  the  "  Last  Judg- 
ment," over  which  sparkled,  in  quaint  lettering,  the 
Druid  motto:  "  To  reform  morals,  to  secure  justice 
and  peace  and  to  encourage  goodness.'5 

Slowly  and  solemnly  the  bell  tolled  forth  the  mid- 
night hour.  At  each  stroke  a  beam  of  light  fell  from 
the  azure  ceiling  to  the  marble  masaic  below,  until  a 
ribbon  of  light  enveloped  the  stage,  and  the  antique 
temple  stood  belted  in  its  splendors. 

In  the  lingering  vibrations  of  the  twelfth  stroke,  a 
tall  vase  of  pure  alabaster  was  brought  out  of  the  tem- 
ple and  placed  in  the  foreground,  and  a  chorus  of 
voices  fron  within  the  temple  sang  an  invocation  to 
the  Druid  Priestess  to  come  forth  and  declare  the 
mystery. 

Every  eye  was  directed  to  the  door  of  the  temple, 
when  suddenly,  like  a  white  lily  bursting  its  bud,  the 
pale  Priestess  rose  out  of  the  crown  of  the  vase  to  her 
full  height,  her  long  snowy  surplice  falling  to  her  del- 
icately sandaled  feet. 

A  cloud  of  irridescent  colors  received  her  form, 
imparting  to  it  the  ethereal  appearance  of  spiritual- 
ized matter,  and  changing  the  vase  to  a  throne  haloed 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  307 

in  a  gorgeous  band  of  throbbing  lights.  The  effect 
was  unearthly,  and  the  applause  of  the  audience  loud 
and  long — so  long,  that  the  glad-hearted  Doctor,  en- 
sconced in  his  secret  observatory  and  resonator  could 
scarcely  persuade  himself  that  he  did  not  hear  a 
supernal  and  tenuous  clapping  of  hands,  and  a  light 
"  Bravo!  "  echoed  from  invisible  lips. 

And  now  distinctly  the  voice  of  the  Priestess  was 
heard  from  out  the  cloud.  Not  a  word  of  the  solemn 
recitative  was  lost,  either  upon  the  heart  of  the 
stranger — whose  fitful  reflection  in  the  mirror  con- 
tinued to  disturb  the  tranquil ity  of  the  Tonguewort's 
guest — or  upon  her,of  whose  presence  he  little  dreamed, 
whose  soul  was  moved  by  the  voice  of  the  speaker. 

THE  MYSTKRY. 

I  hold  in  my  bands  a  mystic  ball, 

I  wind  and  unwind,  release  and  recall, 

Till  it  passes  over  the  heads  of  all. 

Its  strands  are  the  ravelled  threads  of  fate ; 

Those  deviating  lines  of  bate 

The  powers  of  darkness  alone  create — 

At  every  circle  around  the  hall, 

Made  by  the  magic,  mystical  ball, 

I  gather  the  hidden  secrets  of  all. 

(The  ball  here  made  a  visible  circuit  of  the  hall  and  returned 
to  the  hand  of  the  Priestess,  who  gazing  intently  thereon,  ex- 
claimed.) 

I  see  a  horrible,  ghastly  thing, 

Forever  and  ever  upon  the  wing. 

Devils  of  darkness  are  in  its  path; 

And  hell  is  the  terminus  of  its  wrath. 

Its  shape  is  never  to  be  defined — 


308  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

It  takes  all  shapes,  like  the  shifting  wind — 

Stab,  strangle  or  drown — it  will  not  die, 

This  monster  and  curse  of  the  world — a  lie! 

Ye  who  follow  its  evil  guide. 

See  what  horrors  its  black  wings  hide! 

Out  of  the  beautiful  light  of  day, 

See  the  doomed  one  led  away ; 

Hear  the  clank  of  his  prison  chain, 

And  the  plea  of  innocence,  made  in  vain. 

In  manhood's  prime  he  goeth  down, 

But  he  wears,  to-night,  a  martyr's  crown. 

Here  a  thrilling  pantomine  exhibition  is  given  with 
effective  scenery,  delineating  the  startling  facts 
brought  out  in  the  affidavit  furnished  at  the  death-bed 
confession  of  John  Durant. 

The  audience  grows  more  attentive,  and  toilet  res- 
toratives are  administered  to  the  pallid  guest  in  the 
Tonguewort  box;  while  the  relentless  ball  unwinds, 
and  the  solemn  recitative  continues: 

I  see  a  mother  desert  her  child — 
Helpless  infancy  undefiled — 
But  the  Angel  of  Mercy  is  everywhere, 
And  the  child  is  the  pride  of  a  millionaire. 

Here  a  pantomine  picture  is  given  of  the  wanderer's 
birth  in  a  foreign  land;  his  desertion  by  the  mother — 
who  thinks  thereby  to  hide  the  crime  of  having  sent 
his  father  to  a  felon's  cell.  The  attempt  to  bribe  the 
hospital  nurse  to  murder  the  babe  was  vividly  deli- 
neated. A  Christian  lady  having  that  very  day  passed 
through  the  perils  of  childbirth,and  inconsolable  at  the 
loss  of  her  babe,  clasps  the  deserted  waif  to  her  heart, 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  309 

covering  it  "with  tears  and  kisses,  and  believing  God 
had  thus  restored  to  her  the  crown  of  maternity,  she 
lavishes  upon  it  all  the  wealth  of  a  mother's  devotion. 

The  real  mother  might  have  been  buried  in  oblivion, 
had  she  not  in  her  precipitate  flight,  dropped  a  me- 
dallion locket,  containing  a  likeness  of  her  cruel  lady- 
ship, with  the  full  name  of  her  husband  (the  father 
of  the  infant)  engraved  upon  it. 

This  locket  the  nurse  had  slipped  into  the  basket, 
but  remarkable  to  say,  it  was  found  by  the  foster- 
mother,  tightly  clasped  in  the  tiny  fist  of  the  babe. 

As  a  key  in  the  arch  of  mystery,  this  inanimate  tri- 
fle proves  of  more  value  to  its  possessor  than  all  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world.  It  has  modestly  refrained 
from  voicing  its  name,  until  that  name  redeemed  from 
obscurity,  should  be  worn  by  him  whose  hour  of  cor- 
onation is  now  at  hand.  Here,  the  ball  struck  the 
floor,  and  the  Priestess  held  up  to  the  audience  a 
small  gold  locket,  exclaiming:  "The  name  upon  the 
locket  now  for  the  first  time  pronounced  and  given  to 
the  world,  and  to  the  son  of  him  who  ever  honored  it, 
is  'Alfred  Clifford ' — a  gentleman  whose  extended 
labors  in  behalf  of  prison  reform  are  well  known 
throughout  the  civilized  world." 

At  this  juncture  the  speaker  was  interrupted  and 
the  audience  fairly  electrified,  by  a  woman's  piercing 
shriek,  supplemented  by  a  series  of  short  hysterical 
screams,  and  the  fall  of  some  dead  weight  to  the  floor. 


310  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

The  disturbance  was  in  the  Tongue  wort  box,  the 
improvised  curtains  of  which  had  been  summaraily 
drawn  by  the  agitated  Louisa,  after  screaming  "fire!  " 
to  stampede  the  audience,  and  in  the  hope  of  divert- 
ing the  lady  Astore  from  the  madness  of  leaping  upon 
the  stage  and  unmasking  and  confessing  her  social 
atrocities. 

The  startling  phraseology  of  Miss  Tonguewort 
brought  the  assembly  to  its  feet,  and  a  scene  of  the 
wildest  confusion  must  have  followed,  had  not  Doctor 
Carlisle  emerged  from  out  the  embankment  of  flowers, 
waved  his  hand,  and  with  his  assuring  manner,  re- 
stored order. 

Nothing  could  have  more  effectually  tranquilized 
his  auditory,  and  prepared  them  for  the  scene  which 
followed. 

The  curtains  of  the  Tonguewort  pew  parted,  and 
the  jets  from  the  chandelier  blazed  directly  into  the 
face  of  a  dark-visaged  woman,  bareheaded,  whose  dis- 
hevelled hair,  disordered  dress'and  distorted  features 
made  her  appear  as  if  struggling  to  free  herself  from 
some  one  concealed  behind  her.  Her  lips  quivered 
in  the  labor-pains  of  speech,  which  had  no  sound  or 
language  adequate. 

At  length,  breaking  away  from  the  detaining  hand 
and  leaping  like  a  panther  to  the  stage,  sho  stood  like 
some  wild  beast  at  bay,  gazing  wildly  around  her. 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  311 

The  Druidess  slowly  advanced,  and  holding  up  a 
branch  of  mistletoe  (esteemed  the  antidote  for  all 
poison  and  the  cure  of  all  diseases)  she  said: 

"  Woman,  if  you  have  a  confession  to  make,  humble 
yourself  before  this  emblem  of  Almighty  God." 

"Confession!  Fiends!  Yes;  but  not  to  you.  Un- 
loose the  souls  I've  chained  in  fetters  worse  than  the 
frost-chains  of  death,  or  the  hermetic  seals  of  stifling 
coffin  lids.  Bring  him  I've  wronged  the  most!  I've 
seen  his  ghost.  I  did  not  mean  to  murder  him.  I 
was  beside  myself  with  jealousy  and  the  mad  hatred 
of  my  rival,  passions  which  unwittingly  consent  to 
crime.  O  God,  I  seek  that  mercy  so  much  lauded  in 
Thy  name!  " 

Breaking  a  sacred  branch  from  the  holy  cluster  of 
evergreens,  she  seized  it  in  her  trembling  hands, 
kissed  it  and  placed  it  in  her  bosom. 

"Now  go,"  she  said,  "and  leave  me  alone  with  Him," 
here  she  cast  a  cold,  indifferent  glance  upon  the  sea 
of  faces  intently  turned  towards  her,  "  and  those  who 
like  to  look  at  naked  souls,  heaven-scourged.  I  was 
not  cradled  for  such  crimes.  I  have  dishonored  birth 
and  lineage,  and  now,  though  late,  I,  Hector  Clifford 
( here  a  sensation  was  produced  in  the  audience )  ask, 
first  for  heaven's  forgiveness;  next  for  man's  char- 
ity; and  I  trust  through  this  enforced  abasement  to 
gain  the  full  pardon  of  an  offended  God.  Go!  Do 


312  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

not  stare  upon  me  with  those  piercing  eyes!  I  am  not 
lost,  unless — O  torturing  thought! — unless  death  inter- 
cepts the  meeting;  and  I  am  warned  here,  where  God's 
vengence  wounded  me  to-night —  The  woman 

placed  both  hands  over  her  heart,  trembling,  and 
gasping  for  breath;  and  though  there  was  an  attempt 
at  feeble  applause,  it  was  suppressed,  as  the  true  nat- 
ure of  the  drama  dawned  upon  the  mind  of  every  be- 
holder. 

The  Druidess  entered  the  temple,  and  the  young 
man  who  had  enacted  the  role  of  the  "wanderer" 
came  forth  white  as  marble  and  with  great  trepida- 
tion. 

The  attention  of  the  audience  was  absolute,  and  the 
stillness  of  death  pervaded  the  house.  The  woman 
surveyed  her  son,  the  son  his  mother.  Both  seemed 
riveted  to  the  spot. 

"  Holy  mother  of  Christ,"  uttered  the  woman  with 
a  shriek,  "he  does  not  forgive  me!"  Then  reeling, 
and  with  a  groan  as  from  a  shattered  heart,  she  fell 
like  a  corpse  upon  the  floor  of  the  stage. 

Instantly  the  stage  swarmed  with  actors.  Doctor 
Carlisle,  who  had  anticipated  all  emergencies  was 
armed  and  equipped  with  restoratives  and  palliatives, 
which  upon  being  administered,  the  woman  soon 
opened  her  eyes  to  find  her  head  pillowed,  with  the 
cool  breath  of  crushed  lilies  against  her  burning 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  313 

cheeks.  In  the  group  were  many  who  had  left  their 
seats  in  the  auditory. 

"  I  am  dying,' '  moaned  the  purple  lips. 

"Oh  no!  We  will  not  let  you  die,"  said  a  sweet- 
voiced  lady,  who  had  been  chafing  her  temples,  and 
rubbing  the  cold  numb  fingers  with  her  own  of  rosy 
tint. 

"Am  I  forgiven?  My  life  is  waiting!  "  The  words 
were  spoken  low  and  feebly,  but  by  a  readjustment  of 
the  resonator,  the  audience  caught  them  all,  as  if  the 
tragedy  must  be  "stage-acting  "  to  the  end. 

"  Yes,  surely;  all  forgiven,"  answered  the  lady,  who 
at  the  same  moment  significantly  pressed  the  young 
man's  hand,  and  urged  him  to  speak  the  coveted  words; 
but  pale  and  motionless  as  breathing  marble  he  re- 
mained. 

And  now  a  stranger  who  had  been  some  minutes  in 
earnest  converse  with  Doctor  Carlisle,  came  and  knelt. 
Taking  the  woman's  hands  in  his  he  said: 

"  Hector,  I  forgave  you  many  years  ago."  The 
woman's  eyes  were  closed,  but  she  recognized  the 
voice  with  a  visible  shudder,  saying: 

"  I  thank  you,  and  bless  God." 

The  next  moment  a  messenger  entered  at  the  rear 
of  the  stage,  approached  the  group  around  the  dying 
woman  and  presented  a  note  to  Doctor  Carlisle,  the 
private  nature  of  which,  under  any  ot  her  circum- 


314  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

stances,  must  have  been  regarded  sacred  as  his  profes- 
sional honor.  Now,  the  stage  was  turned  over  to  the 
audience,  and  the  note  must  be  read  at  the  instant  of 
its  reception,  sensational  as  it  proved.  It  read  as 
follows: 

DOCTOR  CARLISLE: 

Having  witnessed  your  cranky  feats  of  skull- 
duggery this  evening,  without  coming  under  the  evil 
spell  of  the  infernal  machine  you  have  put  upon  the 
stage  to  mesmerize  the  people  of  St.  Saul,  I  command 
you  to  deliver  over  to  the  bearer  of  this  the  mutilated 
remains  of  my  friend  Mrs.  Astore,  with  whom  you 
have  experimented  and  deceived  the  community  into 
believing  words  ventriloquized  through  her,  and  never 
thought  of  before  outside  your  addled  brains. 

In  case  you  prove  daring  enough  to  ignore  this 
civil  demand,  a  writ  of  Habeas  Corpus  will  be  served 
instanter.  Disdainfully  Yours, 

MlSS  LOUISA  TONGDEWORT. 

As  Doctor  Carlisle,  finished  reading,  wider  and 
wider  expanded  the  staring  eyes  of  Hector  Clifford, 
until  their  expression  was  horrible  and  ghastly. 

Raising  herself  until  her  head  rested  upon  her 
brawny  arm,  she  said  in  a  hoarse  whisper: 

"  Tell  Louisa  Tongue  wort  Mrs.  Astore  is  dead — or, 
rather,  Hector  Clifford  has  just  cast  oub  a  devil  by 
that  name.  Tell  her  to  come  to  me  instantly;  that  no 
one  will  dispute  her  sole  claim  to  the  posession  of  my 
mortal  remains." 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  315 

Contrary  to  every  expectation.  Miss  Tonguewort 
answered  in  person,  saying,  as  she  pushed  her  way 
rudely  into  the  face  of  the  dying  Hector: 

"  I  am  come.  Will  you  go  at  once  with  me,  and  end 
this  ridiculous  role  of  yours?" 

"  Presently.  I  must  not  slam  the  door  of  mercy 
and  forgiveness,  now  held  ajar.  I  have  one  more  con- 
fession yet  to  make,  and  I  adjure  you,  to  not  dispute 
the  man  of  God  through  whom  I  speak.  I  read  your 
fears,  but  you  are  safe  as  I  have  only  time  to  shrive 
my  perjured  self.  See !  My  head  never  rested  upon 
so  pure  and  white  a  pillow  since  cradled  on  the  breast 
of  her  who  bore  me." 

Now  Lady  Tonguewort  was  insulated  by  a  thick 
veil  from  direct  contact  with  the  object  commended  to 
her;  but  the  shock  was  no  less  shattering,  causing  her 
to  revolve  about  the  stage  like  a  magnetized  spindle, 
alternating  each  bound  with  a  sharp  shriek,  which 
scattered  the  impromptu  actors  as  effectually"as  a  vol- 
ley of  musketry  could  have  done. 

Doctor  Carlisle's  attention  being  unwillingly  diver- 
ted to  this  new  patient,  whose  hysterical  antics  threat- 
ened to  interfere  with  the  concluding  scenes  now  in 
preparation  within  the  Temple,  he  directed  the  lady's 
attendant  to  assist  in  gathering  the  rotating  drapery 
before  the  climax  of  a  collapse  should  further  com- 
plicate his  trying  position  as  stage  manager. 


316  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

The  parting  glance  given  to  the  audience,  revealed 
the  convulsive  efforts  of  the  ejected  Tongue  wort  to- 
ward removing  piece-meal,  the  ornamental  covering 
to  the  Doctor's  scalp. 

The  last  visible  squirm  furnished  a  picturesque  ac- 
companiment to  her  parting  words,  keyed  to  reach  the 
audience : 

"  I  give  you  fair  warning,  the  world  has  gone  mad, 
and  Doctor  Carlisle  is  an  old  wizard  and  spiritualistic 
prestidigitator ! " 

The  curtain  was  here  lowered  upon  this  spectacular, 
and  Doctor  Carlisle  soon  appeared  before  it,  thanking 
the  audience  for  their  attention,  and  begging  them  to 
support  him  with  their  presence  to  the  end.  The  re- 
maining confession  he  said  would  be  given  to  them 
from  the  lips  of  Doctor  Carroll,  rector  of  St.  Mark's. 

In  a  irief  space  the  curtain  rose  upon  the  final 
scene.  The  huge  proportions  of  the  Sphinx  and  the 
lofty  Temple  of  the  Druids  had  disappeared,  and  in 
their  places  stood  the  beautiful  shrine  of  St.  Agnew, 
covered  with  lilies,  and  beside,  yet  not  touching — a 
couch  was  spread,  upon  which  lay  the  expiring  penit- 
ent. Her  blanched  face  looked  calmer  and  she  clasped 
convulsively  the  bough  of  mistletoe. 

The  scene  was  sorrowful,  as  every  one  who  witnessed 
it  was  made  to  realize  its  awful  actuality. 

Soft   strains   of  instrumental   music   now    floated 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.  317 

through  the  open  doors  of  a  little  chapel,  followed  by 
the  wedding  march  of  Mendelssohn,  in  tempo  with  the 
solemn  march  of  death. 

The  dying  woman's  eyes  were  turned  expectant 
towards  the  ohapel,  across  the  threshold  of  which  filed 
a  goodly  procession  of  thoughtful-faced  men  and 
women,  who  arranged  themselves  in  a  semi-circle  be- 
hind the  shrine.  Prominent  among  these  were  to  be 
recognized  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Carlisle,  Sir  Alfred  Clif- 
ford, Stanley  Veen  and  his  sister  Miss  Cecile  Veen 
(prima  donna  of  the  evening)  Governor  and  Mrs. 
Pearl  LaGrange  Kellogg,  and  many  other  distin- 
guished personages. 

At  this  point  a  profound  sensation  was  produced, 
as  the  Rector  of  St.  Mark's  stepped  forth  and  Hugh 
Carlisle  Clifford  and  Miss  Cecile  Veen  joined  hands 
before  him  at  the  shrine. 

The  woman  was  sinking  rapidly,  and  in  token  of 
their  forgiveness,  the  young  people  consented  to  be 
married  before  her  expiring  gaze. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  marriage  service,  Rev. 
Doctor  Carroll  addressed  the  audience  substantially  as 
follows : 

"  My  appearance  before  this  audience  is  as  dream- 
like as  have  been  to  me  the  scenes  of  the  evening. 

"  We  came,  confidently  anticipating  something  out 
of  the  ordinary  line  of  dramatic  entertainment.  We 


318  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY. 

have  witnessed  thrilling  scenes,  whose  conclusion  is 
a  mournful  tragic  death  and  a  romantic  marriage; 
Stranger  than  any  fiction. 

"  The  dying  woman  is  well  known  to  all  as  one  of 
my  old  parishioners,  who  in  her  palmy  days,  wielded 
a  social  sceptre.  ( Sensation  in  the  audience. )  Be- 
hold her  now,  as  shorn  of  vanity  as  Lazarus  was  when 
lying  at  the  rich  man's  gate,  and  humble  as  the  dogs 
which  licked  his  sores.  Low  in  the  dust  of  deep  con- 
trition, with  not  her  least,  though  last  confession  to 
be  made  through  me. 

"  As  the  physical  invalid,  in  a  moment  of  terror 
from  fire  or  flood,  springs  from  the  couch  he  thought 
never  to  leave,  so  moral  decrepitude  throws  by  its 
crutches  and  runs  like  a  deer,  upon  feeling  the  con- 
tract of  a  holy  spirit 

"  The  terrible  curse  of  his  sin  is  that  it  renders  its 
subjects  spiritually  apathetic,  until  some  dire  neces- 
sity swoops  down  upon  them  with  the  whip  of  scorp- 
ions, and  forces  them  to  mend  their  ways. 

"The  vicious  tale  bearer  tells  a  lie;  tells  it  publicly. 

It  is  passed  from  lip  to  lip.     It  is  circulated  through 

• 

the  city.     A  pure  life  is  stigmatized;  a  reputation  is 
killed;  a  character  is  ruined. 

"  Suppose  the  slanderer  repent  and  become  deeply 
remorseful.  What  can  be  done  to  arrest  the  words 
he  has  set  in  motion.  Can  the  record  be  blotted  out? 


A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY.     __  319 

Repent  in  sackcloth  and  ashes;  protest;  go  about  with 
recantations ;  correct  the  story ;  publish  the  correction 
in  the  same  papers  that  published  the  lie;  it  cannot 
be  entirely  recalled,  nor  the  wrong  utterly  undone; 
nor  the  injustice  completely  repaired.     Dropped  like 
a  seed  into  the  ground,  vital  forces  have  taken  poses- 
sion  of  it  and  worked  upon  it.     The  poison  had  been 
communicated  to  the  air  and  the  victim. 
Doomed,  like  Prometheus,  to  be  torn, 
By  vultures'  beak,  from  night  till  morn, 

And  still  its  flesh  renew 
To  gratify  the  insatiate  maw 
Of  wretches  who  forever  gnaw 
At  what  they  can't  gnaw  through. 

"  The  sin  of  a  monstrous  falsehood  rests  on  this  wo- 
man's soul.  A  lie  which  was  conceived,  born  and 
bred  and  taught  to  run  alone  in  the  streets  of  this 
city.  Commissioned  to  hail  the  stranger  and  to  whis- 
per its  dark  and  evil  insinuations  into  unsuspecting 
ears.  A  lie  which  might  not  have  been  confessed  and 
extinguished  with  the  breath  of  its  originator,  had  not 
its  innocent  victim  been  first  to  reach  and  minister  to' 
the  stricken  wretch  before  you,  pouring  the  balm  of 
healing  words  into  her  ears  and  urging  the  reluctant 
lips  of  her  son  to  repeat  from  her  own,  the  noble  words 
of  forgiveness. 

"The  news  this  country  has  been  awaiting  has  just 
reached  the  Governor's  box,  calling  him  and  his  lady 
to  their  home  where  friends  and  congratulations  await 
them.  ( Sensation  profound  throughout  the  house. ) 


320  A  SOCIAL  CONSPIRACY 

"  The  election  of  Governor  Kellogg  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  marks  the  division  between  church  and 
state,  or  society  and  state;  for  society's  ambush  is  a 
temple  of  worship.  I  believe  that  among  the  revilers 
of  his  lovely  wife  are  many  who  would  not  wish  to 
have  their  secret  lives  exposed.  The  victory,  there- 
fore which  places  this  lady  above  and  out  of  the  reach 
of  her  persecutors,  is  a  triumph  of  free  thought  and 
humanitarianism. 

"  '  The  world  is  old',  says  the  Poet  Browning,  '  but 
the  old  world  waits  the  hour  to  be  renewed,  toward 
which  new  hearts,  in  individual  growth,  must  quicken 
and  increase  to  multitude;  enveloped  whence  shall 
grow,  spontaneously,  new  churches,  new  economies, 
new  laws  admitting  freedom;  new  societies,  excluding 
falsehood.' 

"And  to  this  I  would  add  the  words  of  Christ: 
'  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  (or  women)  shall  revile 
you  and  persecute  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil 
against  you  falsely,  for  my  sake;  for  great  shall  be 
your  reward  in  Heaven.' " 

The  Rector  of  St.  Mark's  lifted  both  hands.  The 
audience  rose,  and  retired,  with  these  final  words 
from  Doctor  Carlisle  ringing  in  their  ears: 

HECTOR  CLIFFORD  is  DEAD  AND  PEARL  LAGRANGE 
KELLOGG  is  NO  LONGER  UNDER  THE  BAN. 
[THE  END.] 


